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History

Historically parasnath or sammed shikharji is an ancient Jain pilgrimage site it is a place where the 23rd tirthankara Parshwanath(also known as Parasnath) attained salvation here in 772 BCE. It is noteworthy that the name of the Parasnath hill derived from the Jain Tirthankar Parshvanath who is also known as Parasnath or Parsva who attained salvation here during the 8th century BCE. After preaching for 70 years, Parshvanath attained moksha at Shikharji on Parasnath hill.Some jain texts name the place as Mount Sammeta.⁶ It is revered in Jainism because 20 of its 24 tirthankars are believed to have attained moksha there.⁷⁸⁹ at the age of 100 on Shravana Shukla Saptami according to Lunar Calendar.¹⁰ His moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death) in Jain tradition¹¹ is celebrated as Moksha Saptami. This day is celebrated on large scale at Parasnath tonk of the mountain, in northern Jharkhand, part of the Parasnath Range¹² by offering Nirvana Laddu (Sugar balls) and reciting of Nirvana Kanda. Parshvanatha has been called purisādāṇīya (beloved of the people) by Jains.¹³¹⁴¹⁵

The Santhal community use the name Marang Buru. They are in dispute with the Jain community as to certain ancestral worship and other rights, and these have been subject to judicial review.¹⁶

Geography

16km9.9milesBIHARHHRRRRhSakri RivergJamuniaRiverfBarakarRiverCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC00HUsri FallsHHHHHPareshnath HillHHMMRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR   Parasnath Hill and other locations in the Giridih district in North Chotanagpur Division. Key:M: municipality, C: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical/ religious/ tourist centreClick or prolonged tap on icons for detail. Owing to space constraints, the locations on click through to the larger map may vary slightly.

At 1,365 m (4,478 ft) Parasnath is the highest mountain peak in the state of Jharkhand, and is theoretically inter-visible (by direct line of sight on a perfectly clear day) with Mount Everest over 450 km (280 mi) away.¹⁷

There is a beautiful Jain temple on the mountain peak known as "Svarna Bhadra koot " ("cottage of golden grace").¹⁸ The temple is made of marble.There is another marble jain temple on hill known as Jal Mandir.

It is easily accessible from Parasnath railway station.

Religious heritage

Jainism

Main article: Shikharji

This is one of the most holy and revered sites for the Jain community. They call it Sammed Sikhar. It is a major pilgrimage site. Out of 24 Tirthankaras of Jains, 20 got nirvana on Parshvnatha Hills.

On the mountain, there are the Shikharji Jain temples, an important tirthakshetra or Jain pilgrimage site.¹⁹ For each Tirthankara there is a shrine (gumti or Tonk) on the hill.²⁰

The Jain temple is believed to be constructed either by the Magadha King Bimbisara or by the Kalinga King Avakinnayo Karakandu.

An ancient idol of Lord Parasnath is located in the valley at Palganj. The idol is believed to be 2500 years old.²¹

See also

• List of mountains in India
• List of mountains by elevation
• Shikharji movement

Sources

• Jacobi, Hermann (1964), Max Muller (The Sacred Books of the East Series, Volume XXII) (ed.), Jain Sūtras (Translation), Motilal Banarsidass (Original: Oxford University Press)
• Cort, John E. (2010), Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-538502-1
• Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), London and New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-26605-5
• Wiley, Kristi L. (2009), The A to Z of Jainism, vol. 38, Scarecrow, ISBN 978-0-8108-6337-8
• Sangave, Vilas Adinath (2001), Facets of Jainology: Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, Religion, and Culture, Mumbai: Popular Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-7154-839-2

• Jain, Kailash Chand (1991), Lord Mahāvīra and His Times, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-0805-8
• Schubring, Walther (1964), Jinismus, in: Die Religionen Indiens, vol. 3, Stuttgart

References

1. "Official website of the Giridih district". Retrieved 7 March 2012. http://giridih.nic.in/ ↩

2. "Parasnath / Marang Buru | DISTRICT GIRIDIH, GOVERNMENT OF JHARKHAND | India". https://giridih.nic.in/tourist-place/parasnath/ ↩

3. Choudhury, Pranab Chandra Roy (1975). Bihar. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 60. https://books.google.com/books?id=km2gysr9Hv4C ↩

4. Indian Antiquary. Popular Prakashan. 1893. p. 295. https://books.google.com/books?id=dzVCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA295 ↩

5. Transactions. India Mining, Geological, and Metallurgical Institute of. 1937. p. 61. https://books.google.com/books?id=nnsnAQAAIAAJ ↩

6. Jacobi 1964, p. 275. - Jacobi, Hermann (1964), Max Muller (The Sacred Books of the East Series, Volume XXII) (ed.), Jain Sūtras (Translation), Motilal Banarsidass (Original: Oxford University Press) https://archive.org/stream/jainsūtrasparti029233mbp#page/n333/mode/2up ↩

7. Cort 2010, pp. 130–133. - Cort, John E. (2010), Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-538502-1 https://books.google.com/books?id=MDBpq23-0QoC ↩

8. Wiley 2009, p. 148. - Wiley, Kristi L. (2009), The A to Z of Jainism, vol. 38, Scarecrow, ISBN 978-0-8108-6337-8 https://books.google.com/books?id=cIhCCwAAQBAJ ↩

9. Dundas 2002, p. 221. - Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), London and New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-26605-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=X8iAAgAAQBAJ ↩

10. Dundas 2002, p. 30. - Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), London and New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-26605-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=X8iAAgAAQBAJ ↩

11. Sangave 2001, p. 104. - Sangave, Vilas Adinath (2001), Facets of Jainology: Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, Religion, and Culture, Mumbai: Popular Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-7154-839-2 https://books.google.com/books?id=QzEQJHWUwXQC ↩

12. Kailash Chand Jain 1991, p. 13. - Jain, Kailash Chand (1991), Lord Mahāvīra and His Times, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-0805-8 https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC ↩

13. Jacobi 1964, p. 271 with footnote 1. - Jacobi, Hermann (1964), Max Muller (The Sacred Books of the East Series, Volume XXII) (ed.), Jain Sūtras (Translation), Motilal Banarsidass (Original: Oxford University Press) https://archive.org/stream/jainsūtrasparti029233mbp#page/n333/mode/2up ↩

14. Kailash Chand Jain 1991, pp. 12–13. - Jain, Kailash Chand (1991), Lord Mahāvīra and His Times, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-0805-8 https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC ↩

15. Schubring 1964, p. 220. - Schubring, Walther (1964), Jinismus, in: Die Religionen Indiens, vol. 3, Stuttgart ↩

16. Deogharia, Jaideep (9 February 2025). "Santhals join hands to claim right over Marang Buru". Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250219230114/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/santhals-join-hands-to-claim-right-over-marang-buru/articleshow/118095889.cms ↩

17. "View from Mt. Everest looking south". ViewfinderPanoramas.org. Retrieved 3 June 2024. https://viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/ASIA/EVEREST-SOUTH.gif ↩

18. "Shri Sammed Shikharji - Encyclopedia of Jainism". 21 January 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023. https://encyclopediaofjainism.com/106134-2/ ↩

19. "Shikharji." Jain V. Herenow4u.net Accessed 26 May 2012 http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=78102 ↩

20. "Parasnath | DISTRICT GIRIDIH, GOVERNMENT OF JHARKHAND | India". https://giridih.nic.in/tourist-place/parasnath/ ↩

21. "The forgotten taleti of Shikharji - Palganj". 15 January 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2023. https://www.storiesbyarpit.com/2020/01/the-forgotten-taleti-of-shikharji.html ↩