Shatrunjaya

This article is about the Shatrunjaya hills. For the Jain temple complex, see Palitana Jain temples.

Shatrunjaya or Shetrunjaya ("place of victory against inner enemies")^[1] originally Pundarikgiri, are hills located by the city of Palitana, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. They are situated on the banks of the Shetrunji River at an elevation 164 feet (50 m) above sea level. These hills have similarities to other hills where Jain temples have been built in Bihar, Gwalior, Mount Abu and Girnar.^[2]

Shatrunjaya
View of pilgrims ascending Shatrunjaya Hill
Highest point
Elevation	580 m (1,900 ft)archaeological survey of india[citation needed]
Coordinates	21°28′6″N 71°48′0″E
Geography
Shatrunjaya Location in Gujarat
Location	Palitana, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat

The Jains' sacred hill of Shatrunjaya has 865 temples on it.^[3] The hills were sanctified when Rishabha, the first tirthankara of Jainism, gave his sermons on the top of this hill.^[4] The ancient history of the hills is also traced to Pundarik Swami, a chief Ganadhara^[5] and grandson of Rishabha, who attained Nirvana/Moksha here. His shrine located opposite to the main Adinath temple, built by Son of Rishabha, Bharata.^[6][7]

There are several alternate spellings, including Śatruñjaya, Satrunjaya, Shetrunja, and Shetrunjo. Shatrunjaya was also known as Pundarikgiri as Pundarik Swami was said to have attained nirvana on this mountain.^[8][9]Alternate names include Siddhakshetra or Siddhanchal, since many tirthankaras have received enlightenment here.^[10]

Shatrunjaya is the most sacred place for Jains.

Etymology

The name for Mount 'Shatrunjaya' where it is located, means a "place of victory" or "which conquers enemies".^[1][11][12]

Geography

The Gulf of Khambhat is to the south of the Shatrunjaya Hills, Bhavnagar town is to its north, and a river flows between the two hills. Legend states that the hill is a part of the Girnar ranges.^[13] A path along the ridge leads down to the aadpur valley, a distance of 13 kilometres (8.1 mi).^[13] Palitana town is at the base of the foothills, 56 kilometres (35 mi) from Bhavanagar. The topography is rugged while the landscape is drought-affected.^[1]

Culture

Pilgrims climbing the stairs of Shatrunjaya Maha Tirth

The hills are an ancient tirtha (religious pilgrimage site). The Palitana temples, a pilgrimage complex on both hills and their saddle, are reached by climbing approximately 3750 stone steps, which are carved into the mountain.^[11][14] The climb is 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) from the base and takes approximately two hours.^{[15][self-published source]} The hills are closed to pilgrims for four months during the monsoon season. The pilgrimage is known as "Shri Shantrunjay Teerth Yatra". It occurs from the Poornima day (Full Moon Day) of Kartik month according to the Jain calendar (October–November as per the Gregorian calendar). Jains assemble at the foot of the hills to undertake the yatra (religious journey). During this yatra, considered a great event in the lifetime of a Jain, pilgrims circumambulate the Shatrunjaya hills covering a distance of 216 kilometres (134 mi) on foot, offering prayers.^[4]

See also

• Palitana temples
• Palitana