Jainism in Gujarat

Last updated

Palitana temples Palitana.jpg
Palitana temples

Jainism has had a notable following in Gujarat. [1] According to the 2011 Census of India, around 0.959% of the population of Gujarat is Jain. [2] There are several old Jain temples that draw pilgrims from Jains around the world in places such as Palitana, Taranga, Sankheshwar, Idar.

Contents

History

Jains believe that their 22nd Tirthankara (propagators of Jain religion) Neminath attained Moksha/ Nirvana on Girnar in Gujarat. Many other holy Kalyanak places are present in Gujarat like Palitana(Shatrunjaya), Girnar, etc. Many other monks have also got attained Moksha in Gujarat; especially on the holy mountains of Girnar and Shatrunjaya. The Jain councils were held in Vallabhi c. 5th century CE. [3] Their canonical scriptures were written down during this council. King Vanaraja Chavda (c. 720-780 CE) of the Chavda dynasty was brought up by a Jain monk named Shilaguna Suri.

Jain temples are found in Gujarat from as early as the 6th and 7th centuries CE. It was patronized by the Chaulukyas and Chavadas. [4] Dhank Caves (3rd-7th century CE) in Rajkot district has Jain Tirthankara carvings. Northern Gujarat became a principle center of Jainism in the 13th century CE. [5]

The earliest known Old Gujarati text Bharat-Bahubali Ras, was written by a Jain monk Shalibhadra Suri. [6] Of the most important people in Gujarat's Jain history were the Acharya Hemachandra Suri and his pupil, the Chaulukya ruler Kumarapala.

Major Centers

Major ancient Jain centers include:

See also

Notes

  1. Glasenapp, Helmuth von (1999). Jainism. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN   9788120813762 . Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  2. "Census of India : C-1 Population By Religious Community". 27 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  3. Shah, Natubhai (2004). Jainism. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN   9788120819382 . Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  4. Wink 1991, p. 355.
  5. Prakash, Om (2005). Cultural History of India. New Age International. ISBN   9788122415872 . Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  6. Datta 1987, p. 454.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girnar</span> Mountain in Gujarat

Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. It is one of the holiest pilgrimages for Jains, where the 22nd Tirthankar, Lord Neminath attained omniscience, and later nirvana along with other five hundred and thirty three enlightened sages. This is well described in ancient texts such as Kalpa Sūtra written by acharya Bhadrabāhu.

The Vaghela dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Gujarat in India in the 13th century CE, with their capital at Dholka. They were the last Hindu dynasty to rule Gujarat before the Muslim conquest of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shikharji</span> Jain pilgrimage centre and hill forest in Jharkhand, India

Shikharji, also known as Sammet or Sammed Shikharji, is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Jains, in Giridih district, Jharkhand. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha, for it is the place where twenty of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras along with many other monks attained Moksha. It is one of the seven principal pilgrimage destinations along with Girnar, Pawapuri, Champapuri, Dilwara, Palitana and Ashtapad Kailash.

<i>Tirtha</i> (Jainism) Sanskrit term denoting Jain pilgrimage sites

In Jainism, a tīrtha is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha. A tirtha provides the inspiration to enable one to cross over from worldly engagement to the side of moksha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rishabhanatha</span> First Tirthankara of Jainism

Rishabhanatha, also Rishabhadeva, Rishabha or Ikshvaku, is the first tirthankara of Jainism. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain cosmology and called a "ford maker" because his teachings helped one cross the sea of interminable rebirths and deaths. The legends depict him as having lived millions of years ago. He was the spiritual successor of Sampratti Bhagwan, the last Tirthankara of the previous time cycle. He is also known as Ādinātha, as well as Adishvara, Yugadideva, Prathamarajeshwara and Nabheya. He is also known as Ikshvaku, establisher of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanath, Neminath, and Shantinath, Rishabhanatha is one of the five Tirthankaras that attract the most devotional worship among the Jains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavagadh</span> Place in Gujarat, India

Pavagadh is a municipal operated region in Panchmahal district about 46 kilometres (29 mi) away from Vadodara in Gujarat state in western India. It is known for a famous Mahakali temple which is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths and draws thousands of pilgrims every day. However, as per records, this was originally a Jain temple belonging to the Svetambara Achalgaccha sect, whose Adhistayika Mahakali's idol was installed here in the 12th century. This locality Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shankheshwar</span> Town in Gujarat, India

Shankheshwar is a town in the Patan district of Gujarat state of India. It is an important place of pilgrimage for the followers of Jainism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neminatha</span> 22nd Jain Tirthankara

Neminātha, also known as Nemi and Ariṣṭanemi, is the twenty-second tirthankara of Jainism in the present age. Neminath lived 81,000 years before the 23rd Tirthankar Parshvanath. According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Samudravijaya and Queen Shivadevi of the Yadu dynasty in the north Indian city of Sauripura. His birth date was the fifth day of Shravan Shukla of the Jain calendar. Balarama and Krishna, who were the 9th and last Baladeva and Vasudeva respectively, were his first cousins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songadh Jain temple</span>

The Songadh Jain temple is a historical temple complex in the town of Songadh, in Bhavnagar district the Saurashtra region in Gujarat, India. It is 8 km from Sihor town and 28 km from Bhavnagar town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shatrunjaya</span> Hill in Gujarat, India

Shatrunjaya or Shetrunjaya originally Pundarikgiri, are hills located by the city of Palitana, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. They are situated on the banks of the Shetrunji River at an elevation 164 feet (50 m) above sea level. These hills have similarities to other hills where Jain temples have been built in Bihar, Gwalior, Mount Abu and Girnar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palitana temples</span> Śvetāmbara Jain temples in Palitana Gujarat

The Palitana temples, often known only as Palitana, are a large complex of Jain temples located on Shatrunjaya hills near Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. Also known as "Padliptapur of Kathiawad" in historic texts, the dense collection of almost 900 small shrines and large temples have led many to call Palitana the "city of temples". It is one of the most sacred sites of the Śvetāmbara tradition within Jainism. The earliest temples in the complex date as far back as the 11th century CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandraprabha</span> 8th Jain Tirthankara

Chandraprabha or Chandranatha is the eighth Tirthankara of Tīrthaṅkara of Jainism in the present age. According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain texts, his birth-date was the twelfth day of the Posh Krishna month of the Indian calendar. He is said to have become a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aranatha</span>

Aranatha, also known as Arnath was the eighteenth Jain Tirthankar of the present half cycle of time (Avasarpini). He was also the eighth Chakravartin and thirteenth Kamadeva. According to Jain beliefs, he was born around 16,585,000 BCE. He became a siddha i.e. a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karmas. Aranath was born to King Sudarshana and Queen Devi (Mitra) at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His birth date was the tenth day of the Migsar Krishna month of the Indian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunthunatha</span> 17th Tirthankara in Jainism in current cycle of Jain cosmology

Kunthunath was the seventeenth Tirthankara, sixth Chakravartin and twelfth Kamadeva of the present half time cycle, Avasarpini. According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Kunthunatha was born to King Surya (Sura) and Queen Shridevi at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty on the fourteenth day of the Vaishakh Krishna month of the Indian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girnar Jain temples</span> Complex of Śvetāmbara Jain temples in Junagadh district, Gujarat

There is a group of temples of Jainism on Mount Girnar near Junagadh in Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. While almost all the temples belong to the Śvetāmbara sect, some also belong to the Digambara sect. The hill and some of the temples are considered sacred by both Digambara and the Śvetāmbara branches of Jainism.

Vastupāla was a prime minister of the Vāghelā king Vīradhavala and his successor Vīsaladeva, who ruled in what is now the Gujarat region of India, in the early 13th century. Although he served in an administrative and military capacity, he was also a patron of art, literature and public works. He, together with his brother Tejapāla, assisted in the restoration of peace in the kingdom, and served in a number of campaigns against Lāṭa, Godraha, Kutch and the Delhi Sultanate. The brothers were instrumental in the construction of the Luniga-vasahi temple on Mount Abu and the Vastupala-vihara on Girnar.

Panchasara Parshwanath Temple is a Śvetāmbara Jain temple located in Patan, Gujarat. The temple was constructed in 8th century during the reign of Vanaraja Chavda of Chavda dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jain temples, Pavagadh</span> Temple complex in Pavagadh Hill, Gujarat

Jain temples, Pavagadh is a group of seven Jain temples located in Pavagadh Hill in the state of Gujarat. These temples are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalyansagarsuri</span> Indian Jain ascetic (c. 1577–1661)

Kalyansagarsuri was a 16th century Jain ascetic, reformer, philosopher, and researcher belonging to the Achal Gaccha of the Śvetāmbara Murtipujaka sect of Jainism.

References