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Palitana Jain temples, Gujrat

Jain exquisite temples of Palitana (863 in number) is two hour by trek, Muslim shrine of Angar Pir nearby. Palitana, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is located 50 km South-West of Bhavnagar city and is a major pilgrimage centre for Jains.

The Palitana temples, are considered the most sacred pilgrimage place (tirtha) by the Jain community. There are a more than 1300 temples located on the Shatrunjaya hills, exquisitely carved in marble. The main temple on top of the hill, is dedicated to 1st tirthankar lord Adinath (Rishabdeva).

No one is allowed to sleep overnight including the priest, because the temple city has been built as an abode for the Gods. The town is considered by many Jains to be more important than the temple covered hills of Jharkhand, Mt Abu and Girnar. Palitana was the capital of a princely state of the Gohil Rajput clan. It is also one of the greatest tourist attractions in Gujrat for foreign tourists. Every year millions of people are coming to visit these temples.

There are hundreds of other temples (besides those on the Shatrunjaya hills) and guest houses (dharmashalas) in Palitana city. It is believed that every Jain should visit Palitana at least once in his lifetime to get "Bhavya" status (fit to attain nirvan or salvation).

Geography

Palitana is located at [show location on an interactive map] 21.52° N 71.83° E. It has an average elevation of 670 metres. The Palitana temples, are considered the most sacred pilgrimage place tirth by the Jain community. There are a total of 1250 temples located on the Shetrunjaya hills, exquisitely carved in marble. The main temple on top of the hill, is dedicated to 1st tirthankar lord Adinath (Rishabdeva).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Palitana had a population of 60,934. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Palitana has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5% : male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 57%. In Palitana, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Getting there

By Air : Bhavnagar, the nearest airport lies at a distance of 51 kilometer from Palitana, but it is only connected to Mumbai. For people coming from other places, a more convenient airport would be Ahmedabad which has an international airport or Vadodara (Baroda) as it is connected through regular flights to many important cities of the country like Mumbai and Delhi.

By Rail : Palitana is a small railway station and has connection only with Bhavnagar. Best way is to take a train to Bhavnagar and go by road to Palitana using local transport. The railway station at Palitana is improving and it is going to soon have direct trains from Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

By Road : Ahmedabad (210 km by road). There are busses for Bhavnagar from Palitana. Regular buses are also available from Ahmedabad, Talaja, Una, and Diu. Taxis are also available on hire for Palitana from Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad or Vadodra. The bus stand is situated 800 meters away from the Palitana railway station. Since Palitana is an important destination for a lot of people who follow Jainism, and the fact that there are a lot of people in Mumbai (Bombay), there are buses that run daily between Mumbai and Palitana.

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