List of major jain pilgrimage sites are given below :
- Palitana temples, Shatrunjay hills in Kathiawar, Gujarat.
- It is regarded as the holiest site, especially by Svetambara sect.
- It is mainly dedicated to Rishabha, the first tirthankara. It has more than 800 marble temples.
- Shikarji, Parasnath in Jharkhand.
- One of the holiest site and it is believed that 20 tirthankars attained Moksha here.
- Girnar Temples, Junagadh district (Gujarat).
- Among the 16 temples, the largest temple is of Neminath(22nd Tirthankar).
- Pawapuri, Nalanda district in Bihar.
- The last tirthankar Mahavira was cremated here.
- Dilwara temples, Mount Abu in Rajasthan has five marvellous temples built of marble with intricate carvings.
- The oldest of which Vimal Vasahi temple was built by Vimal Shah in 11th century AD.
- The other temples are Luna Vasahi, Pittalhar, Parshvanath and Mahavir Swami, built through 13th-17th century.
- Shravanabelagola in Karnataka.
- The Gomateswara statute is of Lord Bahubali, the son of the first Jain Tirthankar.
- It was built in 10th century AD by a minister in Ganga dynasty empire, Chamundaraya.
- It has several ‘Basadis’ or Jain temples.
- Shantinath temple complex in Deogarh, Lalitpur district in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.
- It has 31 temples with beautiful iconography.
- Bawangaja, Barwani district in Madhya Pradesh.
- It has a 84 ft tall statue of Lord Adinath carved out of a single rock.
- Various temples at Gwalior, Chanderi and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
- Ranakpur temples, Pali district in Rajasthan.
- It was built in 15th century and has got some similarities with Hoysala architecture and not Nagara.
- There are over 1400 pillars and are carved in great detail and are unique to each other.
- Discovery of Jain bronze statues in Chausa (Bihar) and Hansi (Hissar, Haryana), Akota (Vadodara, Gujarat).
- Kankali Tila, near Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
- Here, there was discovery of a type of votive tablets known as Ayagapata used for donation and worship under Jainism in early centuries.
- These tablets are decorated with objects and designs central to Jain worship such as the stupa, dharmacakra and triratna.
- They present simultaneous trends or image and symbol worship.
- The practice of donating these tablets is documented from 1st century BCE to 3rd century CE.
- Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves in Odisha:
- They date back to the 2nd–1st century BC and are dedicated to Jainism and carved out during the reign of King Kharavela.
- The number of existing caves at Udayagiri is 18, while Khandagiri has 15.
- Famous caves here include Hathi Gumpha, Rani Gumpha and Ganesh Gumpha.
- They are rich with carvings of Jain tirthankaras and deities with inscriptions including the Hathigumpha inscription.
- The Hathigumpha inscription, written by Raja Kharavela, consists of 17 lines incised in deep cut Brahmi letters and mainly mentions the various conquests of this king.
- Nasiyan Temple in Ajmer, also known as Soniji Ki Nasiyan.
- It was constructed in 19th century and dedicated to Lord Rishabhdev, the first Jain tirthankara.
- Hathee Singh Jain Temple, Ahmedabad.
- Sittanavasal Caves in Tamil Nadu.
- Mangi-Tungi located near Tahrabad in Maharashtra.
- It is a twinpinnacled peak with plateau in between and dedicated to Jainism and considered as a gateway to the state of enlightenment.
- It enshrines images of Tirthankaras in several postures including Padmasana and kayotsarga and were made around 6th century AD.
- Recently in
2016, Statue of Ahimsa, an 108 ft idol carved in monolithic stone was consecrated here. - It is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest Jain idol in the world.
Derasar is a word used for Jain temples in Gujarat and Sourthern Rajasthan. - In Karnataka, Jain temples are knows as Basadis.
Also refer :
- Top 50 Science MCQs For Competitive Exams
- Know About The Different Financial Sector Regulators In India
