Visit
the Amazing Destinations of All India Travel
- Rajasthan,
Kerala, Goa,
Delhi, Mumbai
for Adventure,
Cultural,
Wildlife, Religious,
Beaches & Rail
Tours. Find over 600 Travel Agents & Hotels Reservation Networks
for comfortable holidays of a lifetime in the Indian Sub-continent - India,
Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet & Sri Lanka.
Sri Jambu Swami was born in Champa and was the son of a rich man,
Seth Rishabhdutt. Even though he was married at the age of 16, he
was initiated by Lord Mahavir's disciple Sudhama Swami and lived
as a Brahmachari for the rest of his life. After 20 years of hard
penance he attained the light of true knowledge and was enlightened
at Chaurasi. He is the last Kewal Gyani of the Jains. A temple has
been built here in his memory and dedicated to this holiness.
There is also a dharamshala within it which si surrounded by large
and beautiful garden. There is a bird sanctuary to the left of the
main gate of the temple. This place is better known as Chawrasi.
It is 3 kms. North of Mathura City on the Delhi- Mathura by-pass
road, on the Mathura- Goverdhan route. Dharamshalas with modern
facilities are available for the convenience of the tourist.
Ram Nagar Jain Temple (Ahicchatra)
:
Ahicchatra was the capital of North Panchala (Present day Ramnagar
of Bareilly district). This is the place where the 23rd Tirthankar,
Lord Parshvanath renounced all material luxuries and started his
meditation. It is also believed that Lord Gautam Buddha had given
his teachings and Diksha tot he king of Naga Dynasty near a fort
in Ahicchatra. Chinese pilgrim Huen Tsang has mentioned the name
of this place as ' Ahichitala' in his writings. Some old and broken
Jain Digambar statues have been discovered here. One of these statues
has been placed outside the temple of Lord Parshvanath. Some of
the Tirthankar statues recovered from the ruins of this place are
preserved in the museums at Lucknow and Delhi.
In the ancient Parshvanath Temple, there are 5 Vedis dedicated to
:
1. Tikhal Baba- which is a Black idol of Lord Parshvanath with engraved
footprints.
2. White statues of Lord Mahavir, Lord Parshvanath and Lord Chandraprabhu.
3. Golden Statue Lord Mahaveer.
4. White Idol of Lord Parshvanath in Khandagasan posture.
5. A Statue of Lord Sheetalnath. About 1 km. Away from Ahicchatra
is Ram Nagar.
The large Shikhar Chand jain Templeis situated here. In the Temple
there is a high marble platform where a magnificent black statue
of Lord Parshvanath has been placed. In front of this Jain Temple
there is fort which was built during the period of Panchals. It
covers an area of 3 square miles and is in ruins now. Inside the
fort there is a big piece of rock known as Bhimshila which has been
placed on a mound.
Some broken Jain Digambar statues have also been found here, which
are worshipped by the villagers. Chaitra Badi Asthami and Nirvana
Mahotsav on the Shravan Poornima, are the two main festivals that
are observed here.
To reach Ahicchatra, the nearest railway station is 5 kms. From
Ramnagar. Bus services from Bareilly, Badaun, Aligarh, Delhi and
Meerut are available via Aonla. Dharamshalas have been built by
the Jain Mandir Samiti for the benefit of the pilgrims and other
tourists.
