Located 38 kilometers from Rajgir in Nalanda district and 90 kilometers from Patna(capital of Bihar), Pawapuri is considered to be a holy site for Jains and is also known as Apapuri (“the sinless town”).
Around 500 BC, Lord Mahavira, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras achieved Moksha or Nirvana (Salvation from the endless cycle of life and death) at Pawapuri and was cremated here. Devotees rushed here to collect his ashes which resulted in a lot of soil being removed from the place, making way for a pond.
Currently, the Jalmandir, an exquisite marble temple in the middle of a lotus pond, stands magnificently on a rectangular island. Samosharan is another Jain temple that exists in this vicinity, where Lord Mahavira delivered teaching. It also has the Nirvan Mandir which is main temple where lord Mahaveer gave his last teaching.
Devotees can visit this sacred tirth and pay homage to the nearly 60 cms, high, black-coloured idol of Bhagawan Mahavir Swami in the Padmasana posture, on the hill of the thick forest, approximately 5 kilometers from the foot of Kshatriyakund. This tirth dates to a period much before the times of the last Tirthankar Bhagawan Mahavir and is the birthplace of Lord Mahavir Trishalamata (Lord Mahavir’s mother) is believed to have seen fourteen great dreams of prosperity and happiness even as Bhagwan was in her womb. Therefore, on the twelfth day of his birth, Lord Mahavir was given the name, ‘Vardhman’ and lived for 30 years on this holy land. This tirth has further significance as three Kalyanaks of Bhagawan occurred here. The idol of Bhagwan Mahavir at this tirth, was created by his brother Nandivardhan when lord was still wandering on earth.
Rajgriha has its own importance from the Puranic point of view. This tirth belongs to the twentieth Tirthankara, of Bhagawan Munisuvrat Swami. This is the Holy Land of four Kalyanakas of Munisuvrat Swami – chyavan, birth, diksa and attainment of omniscience. Mahavir Swami, the last Tirthankara, wandered about on the hills of this ancient tirth during his fourteen monsoon sojourns. Of the Nearly seven lakh hermits and nuns devoted to Lord Mahavir, nearly one-fourth belonged to Rajgriha district. Lord Mahavir had a boundless influence on Rajgriha district and it is also known that he wandered about on the hills of this ancient tirth during his fourteen monsoon sojourns. After attaining omniscience, Bhagawan Mahavir gave his first sermons here. The eleven gandharas namely Laddhinidhan, Gautam Swami, and others attained their final liberation here. The grandeur of this tirth is sung with praise in many tirthmalas with many references in Shwetambar and Digambar literature. This place is also of great significance to Buddhists and the first conference of Buddhist sadhus met here.
This tirth is located between the main road of the Guniyaji village and the lake. The temple belongs to the times of Gautam Swami and it has Bhagawan Mahavir’s 30 cm high, white-colored idol and idol of Ganadhar Gautam Swami in the Padmasana posture. There is a mention that Bhagawan Mahavir wandered about here many times and many of his samvasarans were constructed here. There is a mention that Bhagawan Mahavir stayed here many times in the Gunashli. Chaitya ‘Guniyaji’ is a deformation of ‘Gunashil’. And that is the reason why this tirth is important. It is believed that Gautam Swami, the first Ganadhar of Bhagawan Mahavir attained omniscience here. It is a kalyanak tirth as Gautam Swamiji’s Kevalghyan Kalyanak occurred here.
In ancient times, Nalanda and Kundalpur were suburbs of Rajgiri. Gautam Swami and his brothers, Agnibhuti and Vayubhuti who were among Ganadhars of Bhagawan Mahavir, were born at this place. Nalanda was a great center of Buddhist studies and in the ancient lists of tirths, there is a clear mention that there were many temples here. Bhagawan Mahavir visited this place several times to spread his preachings making this place very important and distinct.
The history of this shrine begins with the 9th Tirthankar Suvidhinath who is also called Puspadanta. According to Swetamber traditions, the four Kalnayaks (Chayvan. Janm, Diksha, and Keval Gnan) of Suvidhinath occurred in this place. The presiding deity here is that of Bhagwan Suvidhinath Bhagwan in lotus Posture in white color and Foot-Prints of the deity in black color of length 18 Cms in a shrine in the town of Kakandi (Shve).
Shri Sammed Shikharji Teerth Kshetra is the most significant among all the Digambar Jain Teerth Kshetras as it is the place of salvation of 20 Tirthankaras and a large number of saints. So this is called Teerthraj (King of Tirths) Since ancient times it is believed that Sammed Shikhar and Ayodhya are two main Teerth Kshetras, which have been in existence ever since the existence of the Universe and that all the Tirthankaras born at Ayodhya attain salvation from Sammed Shikhar. In addition, an infinite number of ascetic saints have also attained salvation from here by practicing deep penance and meditation.
Located near the Barakar village on the bank of the river Barakar, the presiding deity is the nearly 15 cm long, white-colored foot-idol of Bhagawan Mahavir Swami. The present-day Barker river was known as Rujubaluka river in ancient times. It has been recorded that on the farm of the farmer Shyamak on the bank of Barakar river under a shali tree at an auspicious time of Vijay Muhurta on the tenth day of the bright half of the month of Vaishakh, Bhagawan Mahavir attained omniscience. Thus, this is a very sacred and holy place of Bhagawan Mahavir Swami’s attainment of Omniscience. Rev sadhus of the sixteenth, the seventeenth, and the eighteenth centuries described this tirth in their tirthmalas. Every particle of this place is purified and sanctified by twelve years long severe penance and attainment of the omniscience of Bhagawan Mahavir Swami, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. The grandeur of this place is matchless and beyond description.
