Chaumukha Jain temple at Ranakpur in Aravalli range near Udaipur Rajasthan India

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

, a ''tīrtha'' ( " ford, a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

sites as well as to the four sections of the ''

sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...

''. A ''tirtha'' provides the inspiration to enable one to cross over from worldly engagement to the side of ''

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

''. Jain ''tirthas'' are located throughout India. Often a ''tirtha'' has a number of temples as well as residences (dharmashala) for the pilgrims and wandering monks and scholars.

Types

''Tirtha'' sites include: * ''Siddhakshetra''s or site of ''

'' liberation of an '' arihant'' (''kevalin'') or

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 ...

s like Ashtapada Hill,

Shikharji 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 ...

Girnar Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. It is one of the holiest pilgrimages of Jains, where the 22nd Tirthankara, Tirthaṅkar, Lord Neminath attained omniscience, and later nirvana at its highest peak (''Neminath Shikhar''), ...

Pawapuri Pawapuri, or Pavapuri (also called Apapapuri, meaning "the sinless town"), is a holy site for Jainism, Jains located in the Nalanda district of Bihar state in East India, eastern India. It is located about 19 kilometres from Rajgir and 101 kilo ...

Palitana Palitana is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations for followers of Jainism, renowned for the Shatrunjaya hill temples, a sprawling complex of over 900 marble t ...

, Mangi-Tungi and Champapuri (capital of

Anga Anga was an ancient Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age in India, Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great na ...

) * ''Atishayakshetra''s where divine events have occurred like Mahavirji, Rishabhdeo,

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 ...

, Aharji etc. * ''Puranakshetra''s associated with lives of great men like

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

Vidisha Vidisha (विदिशा, formerly known as Bhelsa and known as Besnagar and Bhaddilpur in ancient times) is a city in Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Vidisha district. It is located 62.5 km north ...

, Hastinapur, and

Rajgir Rajgir, old name Rajagriha, meaning "The City of Kings," is an ancient city and university town in the Nalanda district of Bihar, India. It was the capital of the Haryanka dynasty, the Pradyota dynasty, the Brihadratha dynasty, the Maurya ...

* ''Gyanakshetra'': associated with famous ''

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

s'' or centers of learning like Mohankheda,

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: ) is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas ...

and Ladnu

Locations

Geographically, the ''tirthas'' are divided into six quarters:Bharat ke Digambar Jain Tirth, Volume 1, Balbhadra Jain, 1974 * North India: Hastinapur * South India: Kulpakji,

, Sankighatta, Moodabidri, Humbaj, Anantnath Swami Temple, Gummileru * Eastern India:

, Champapuri,

Pundravardhana Pundravardhana or Pundra kingdom (), was an ancient kingdom of Iron Age India located in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent with a territory that included parts of present-day Rajshahi and parts of Rangpur Division of Bangladesh a ...

* Western India:

, Mount Abu, Mahavirji, Shankheshwar,

Mahudi Mahudi is a town in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar district, Gujarat, India situated on the banks of Madhumati river, a tributary of Sabarmati River. It is a pilgrimage centre of Jainism, Jains and other communities visiting the temple of Jain dei ...

* Central India:

, Sonagiri, Muktagiri, Bawangaja * Overseas:

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...

Ashtapada Ashtāpada () or Ashtapadi is an Indian board game. Although it is played on a checkered board similar to chess, Ashtāpada predates it and differs in its mechanics and victory conditions. The game was mentioned on the list of games that Gautama ...

, Siddhachalam, Nava Ashtapada, Siddhayatan, Jain Center of Southern California Pilgrimage sites are owned either by the Digambara sect or the Śvetāmbara sect. Some of the major

Śvetāmbara The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...

pilgrimage sites include: - * Palitana temples * Shankheshwar Jain Temple *

Girnar Jain temples There is a group of temples of Jainism on Mount Girnar near Junagadh in Junagadh District, Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. While almost all the temples belong to the Śvetāmbara sect, some also belong to the Digambara sect. The hill and so ...

* Sammed Shikharji Jain Tirth (shared with Digambar) * Lachhuar Jain temple * Dilwara Temples * Nakoda Jain Temple * Ranakpur Jain temple * Kesariya Jain Tirth (shared with Digambar) * Kulpak Jain Temple * Mohankheda *

Mahudi Jain Temple Mahudi Jain Temple (aka Derasar) is situated in Mahudi town in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar district, Gujarat. It is a pilgrimage centre for Śvetāmbara Jainism, Jains and other communities who visit the temple of Jain deity, Ghantakarna Mahavir a ...

Types

Locations

See also

References

External links