India is known for its religious beliefs where people of many religions live together. One of these religions is Jainism, which is one of the oldest religions in the world. Jainism has its own distinct culture and identity. The followers of this religion have built many such grand artistic temples in every corner of India, which are visited by lakhs of devotees every year. These temples are a symbol of religious faith for the Jain followers, while they are beautiful architecture and grand buildings for the tourists. Today in this episode, we are going to tell you about some famous Jain temples of the country which are known for their art and beauty. Let us know about them...

Shri Sammed Shikharji, Jharkhand
Shri Digambar Jain Siddha Kshetra Shri Sammed Shikharji is situated at a place called Madhuvan in the Girdih district of Jharkhand state. This area has special importance for the followers of Jainism and is the most popular Jain religious place in the country. Sammed Shikharji is the land of eternal nirvana. Many Jain monks attained Nirvana here. It is said that about 20 Tirthankaras also attained salvation. Along with temples, museums, and Dharamshala are built on the mountain. There are many Dharamshalas and tourist places on both sides of the road at the foothills. On this area, Madhya Lok Research Institute, Digambar Jain Chopra Kund Temple, Shri Triyoga Ashram, Sammedachal Parshva Temple, Shwetambar Museum, Parshvanath Temple and Ashram, Shwetambar Temple-Bhoomiyan, Dharam Mangal Vidyapeeth, Terapanthi Kothi, Bees Panthi Kothi, Kalyan Niketan Ashram, Mataji's three-story temple, Chandrasagar temple, Aninda Parshvanath temple, Bahubali temple, Nandishwar temple, Teenlok temple, Tis Chaubisi temple, and other temples are worth seeing. Traveling to the mountains from Madhuvan on foot is considered important from a religious point of view. Travelers come here throughout the year.

Dilwara Temple, Rajasthan
The magnificently beautiful Dilwara Temple was built in the 12th century. The fine and beautiful carvings done in marble here are very well preserved even today. Located in the Aravalli range of Rajasthan, it has 5 temples dedicated to different Tirthankaras, and each temple includes paintings of Jain sages, beautifully carved pillars, and statues of 360 Jain Tirthankaras. This temple complex is considered by many to be the most beautiful Jain temple in the world. All the 5 temples here are different from each other, each of which is named after a village in Rajasthan. These five temples are Vimal Vasahi Temple, Luna Vasahi Temple, Pithalahar Temple, Khartar Vasahi Temple and Shri Mahavir Swamy Temple.

Gomateshwara Temple, Karnataka
Gomateshwara Temple is one of the oldest Jain temples in India located at Shravanabelagola in the Hassan district of Karnataka. Let us tell you that Gomateshwara Temple is also known as Shravanabelagola Temple or Bahubali Temple. The main deity in the temple is a 17-meter-high statue of the first Jain Tirthankara, which is the largest monolithic statue in the world. The Gomateshwara temple was built in the 10th century by Chamundaraya, the general of King Rajamalla of the Ganga dynasty. The inscriptions on the base of the statue are believed to be written in Tamil and Kannada. Mahamastakabhisheka is the major festival celebrated once in 12 years at the Gomateshwara temple, where the idol is bathed with milk, saffron, ghee, and curd. During this, a large crowd of Jain followers and tourists can be seen.

Palitana Temple, Gujarat
This temple is situated in the Shatrunjay mountain of Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. Considered one of the most sacred Jain complexes, Palitana has over 3,000 beautifully carved temples. The temple, which began construction in the 11th century, took several generations to complete and is a revered pilgrimage site in Jainism. There are more than 3,800 stairs in this temple, which are difficult to climb, but due to this, there is no reduction in the number of thousands of devotees coming here every year.

Mirpur Jain Temple, Rajasthan
The beauty of Mirpur Jain Temple situated in Mirpur in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan is discussed far and wide. This is considered to be the oldest temple made of marble. It was constructed in the 9th century. It is said that this temple is 1100 years old. This temple is also dedicated to Lord Parshvanath. You can guess the beauty of this temple from the fact that it has also been mentioned in the World Encyclopedia of Art.

Drongiri, Madhya Pradesh
Shri Digamber Jain Siddha Kshetra is located in the village Senghapa of Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Dronagiri is considered one of the major Jain pilgrimage sites in India. The importance of this Siddha Kshetra can be gauged from the fact that many sages attained Nirvana. It is also called Laghu Sammed Peak. There are 35 temples and 3 caves on the mountain here. There are three temples built side by side at the foothills of the mountain. Along with the temples, Chaubisi Temple, Ganesh Varni Swadhyay Temple, and Jain Pilgrimage Management Training Institute have also been built on the foothills. There are 232 stairs to reach the mountain from the foothills. Serial numbers have been installed in all the temples located on the mountain. This area being on the banks of the river presents a view like a hill station. Dronagiri is 103 km from Damoh. It is 50 km from major places Chhatarpur, 202 km from Jhansi, 110 km from Sagar, and 147 km from Kundalpur.

Puliyaramala Jain Temple, Kerala
Puliyarmala Jain Temple, located in the Wayanad district of Kerala, is one of the most popular Jain temples in India, which serves as a major pilgrimage site for Jain followers. Puliyarmala Jain Temple is dedicated to Anantnath Swami who was a Tirthankara and hence this temple is also known as “Anantnath Swami Temple”. Puliyaramala Jain Temple is one of the oldest Jain temples in Kerala, built in the 13th century. It depicts the mastery of Jain architecture, with beautiful carvings on the temple doors and stupa, while the interior of the temple is peaceful and smoothly landscaped.

Songiri Temple, Madhya Pradesh
Songiri Temple situated between Gwalior and Jhansi is famous not only in the country but all over the world. Songiri Temple is also called ‘The Golden Peak’. Is. There are 77 small Jain temples on the hills near this temple. Songiri Temple is considered one of the primary pilgrimage sites for Jain followers. It is believed that this was the place where fifteen lakh followers together attained salvation. This temple has an 11 feet high statue of Lord Chandraprabhu.

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