Muktagiri, or Mendhagiri, is a

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

pilgrimage centre, located on border of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...

and Maharashtra in India. It comes under

Bhainsdehi Bhainsdehi is a city and a Nagar Parishad in Betul district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Kukru is the second highest point of Mahadeo hills. Bhainsdehi is the originating place of the river Purna. It is predominantly a tribal tehsil. ...

tehsil of Betul district and is from

Paratwada Paratwada, formerly known as Paltanwada and also known as "Achalpur Camp" is a city and a municipal council in Amravati District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is also the second most populous city in Amravati District after Amravat ...

in Amravati district.

Jain temple

It is believed that every person who visits this tirth will achieve

nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...

, regardless of their faith. According to Jain legends, it rains

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma (botany), stigma and stigma (botany)#style, styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly ...

and

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus '' Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...

in every eighth century. For reaching the temple complex one has to take 600 stairs. It is surrounded by a waterfall and several Jain temples built in modern architecture with each temple features a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a ...

. Like

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 Jains. Location Nearby cities include Damoh , Sagar , and Jabalpur . The nea ...

Girnar Jain temples The group of temples of Jainism are situated on the Mount Girnar situated near Junagadh in Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. These temples are sacred to both Digambara and the Svetambara branches of Jainism. In Jainism According to Jain re ...

Dilwara temples The Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of Śvētāmbara Jain temples located about kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement in Sirohi District, Rajasthan's only hill station. The earliest were built by Bhima-1 and supposedly des ...

and

Shikharji Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara an ...

, the Muktagiri temple complex is known for its rich architecture. Muktagiri Siddha Kshetra Jain tirth constitutes 52 Jain temples, the oldest one of which is a cave. These temples were built during 13th-14th century. The arched entrance to the cave temple has carvings of lotus with small images of tirthankar carved on each side of gate, with an image of

Mahavir Swami Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...

lotus position Lotus position or Padmasana ( sa, पद्मासन, translit=padmāsana) is a cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha ...

installed in the middle of entrance gate. It comprises a square

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the '' sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ...

with

mandapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples ...

having carvings of leaves. Mandapa is a circular structure based on two pillars and four kudya

stambha A stambha (''tower'' in English) is a pillar or column found in India. In the context of Hindu mythology, it is believed to be a cosmic column that functions as a bond, joining heaven (Svarga) and earth (Prithvi). A number of Hindu scriptures, ...

s. On mandapa's wall images of

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English language, English: literally a 'Ford (crossing), ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the ...

s has been carved. The cave consist of around 56 images of tirthankars. The seven hooded idol of

Parshvanath ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 '' Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru ( Kalpavriksha in this " ...

in 26th temple is considered excellent example of craftsmanship. The main temples are the first, tenth (the cave), 26th and 40th. Temple also has a dharamshala equipped with all modern facilities and Bhojanalays. Muktagiri fair is organised on occasion of

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It i ...

Restoration

Muktagiri is protected by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

Gallery

File:Muktagiri Temple.jpg, Muktagiri Temples File:Muktagiri - 26th temple - Parshvanatha Idol.jpg, The idol of Parshvanatha in 26th temple File:Temples of muktagiri.jpg, Muktagiri temples

References

Citations

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External links

Coumbia University in the city of New York - Muktagiri
{{Jainism topics Betul district Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh 10th-century Jain temples