Jain temple, Kundalpur is a complex of six Jain

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

s located in

Kundalpur Kundalpur is a town located in Damoh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Located northeast of the city of Damoh, Kundalpur is a pilgrimage site for Digambar Jainism, Jains. Location Nearby cities include Damoh , Sagar, Madhya Pra ...

village near

Nalanda Nalanda (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) was a renowned Buddhism, Buddhist ''mahavihara'' (great monastery) in medieval Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha (modern-day Bihar), eastern India. Widely considered to be am ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. Kundalpur is one of the most important Jain pilgrimages in Bihar.

History

Kundalpur was an ancient capital city ruled by the Licchavi. Kundalpur is believed to be the birthplace of

Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

, the 24th ''

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

'' of Jainism. This place is also believed to birthplace of four of the eleven ''

Ganadhara In Jainism, the term Ganadhara is used to refer the chief disciple of a ''Tirthankara''. In '' samavasarana'', the ''Tīrthankara'' sat on a throne without touching it (about two inches above it). Around, the ''Tīrthankara'' sits the ''Gana ...

'' of Mahavira, including

Gautama Swami Gautama Swami, born as Indrabhuti Gautama was the first ''Ganadhara'' (chief disciple) of Mahavira, the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara of present half cycle of time. He is also referred to as Guru Gautama, Gautama Ganadhara, and Ganadhara Gauta ...

Architecture

The ancient Jain temple called ''Simhamukhi Teela'' is located near Nalanda and houses a idol of Mahavira. The temple houses a number of Jain artifacts. The new temple complex, located from the ancient temple, consists of five temples. The temple is constructed using stones from

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed ''The Golden city'', is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur, in the heart of the Thar Desert. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer district ...

housing idols of Mahavira,

Rishabhanatha Rishabhanatha (Devanagari: ऋषभनाथ), also Rishabhadeva (Devanagari: ऋषभदेव, ), Rishabha (Devanagari: ऋषभ, ) or Ikshvaku (Devanagari: इक्ष्वाकु, ''Ikṣvāku''), is the first (Supreme preacher) ...

and Gautama Swami. In Kundalpur temple complex, a total of 72 idols of Tirthankaras are installed in a separate temples. The temple also has a ''

dharamshala Dharamshala (, ; also spelled Dharamsala) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It serves as the winter capital of the state and the administrative headquarters of the Kangra district since 1855. The town also hosts the Tibeta ...

'' equipped with all modern facilities, including ''Bhojanalaya'' (a restaurant). Kundalpur is one of the most important Jain pilgrimage centres of Bihar and proposed to be developed as part of the Jain circuit.

Gallery

File:Kundalpur temple Mahavira (cropped).jpg, idol of Mahavira File:Kundalpur Mural - Krishnabai temple, Shri Mahavirji.jpg, Mural of ''Nandyavrat Mahal'' temple File:Kundalpur temple statue.jpg, Rishabhanatha idol inside Rishabhanatha temple

Festival

''Kundalpur Mahotsav'' is the main festival celebrated in here, the event is organised on the day of

Mahavir Janma Kalyanak Mahavira Janma Kalyanaka is one of the most important religious festivals in Jainism. It celebrates the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth and last Tīrthaṅkara (supreme preacher) of present Avasarpiṇī. On the Gregorian calendar, the ...

History

Architecture

Gallery

Festival

See also

References

Citation

Sources

External links