Shri Sammed Shikharji is one of the holiest Jain pilgrimage sites sacred to both the Digambara and Svetambara sects of Jains. It is located on the Parasnath Hill which is the highest hill in the state of Jharkhand. The hill sits at an elevation of about 4480 ft and 35 km from the headquarters of Gridih district.
The pilgrimage to the place starts with Palganj on Giridih road followed by offerings at the Madhuban Temple on the base of the hill.
In July 2022, as part of its tourism policy, the Jharkhand government decided to ‘promote religious tourism’ at the Parasnath Hills. Based on the state government’s proposal, the central government had earlier notified the area as Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) in August 2019. The notification also gave a mandate to the state government to prepare a tourism development plan for the area. However, the move did not go down well with the Jain community of the country, which, in several parts of the country has been holding mass protests against this decision of the Jharkhand government to convert Shri Sammed Shikharji from a ‘place of pilgrimage’ to a ‘religious tourist destination’.
The protestors demand revocation of the Jharkhand government’s decision, as this may draw visitors including those who treat the place as a tourist destination and a picnic spot rather than a sacred and religious place. The decision is also expected to increase commercial and infrastructural development activities in the area further interfering with the religious character of the shrine.
Religious Significance
The site is significant because of the following reasons:
- The site is among the most important and sanctified holy places of Jains as it is believed that 20 out of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras attained salvation there.
- Besides, the hills are also holy to the members of the Santhal tribe, who call it ‘Marang Buru’ and hold a festival every year in mid-April.
Temple Structures
Most of the temples on the site are dedicated to Parshvanatha a 23rd Jain Tirthankara who meditated and attained salvation on the hill in 772 BCE.
Among the temples at Shikharji, 300-year old Bageecha Temple (Garden Temple) is the oldest, which houses a delicately carved stone sculpture of Parasnath. It had been restored to the temple after having been sealed in a wall of the nearly Terapanthi Shrine for several decades.
The current structure of temples at Shikharji was rebuilt in the latter half of the 18th century, however, the idol is very old. The Sanskrit inscription at the foot of the image is dated 1678 CE. At the base of the hill is a large Digambar temple depicting Nandishwar Dweep and another temple, dedicated to Shri Bhomiyaji Maharaj who is the protector deity of Sammed Shikharji. The hilltop where Parshvanatha attained salvation is called ‘suvarnabhadra kuta’ and is considered the most sacred hilltop on Shikharji.
Besides, there are 31 other shrines which house footprints, in black and white marble, of each Tirthankara and are hence worshipped by both Digambaras and Svetambaras.
Historical Background
The earliest reference of Shikharji as a place of pilgrimage is found in Jnata-dharma-kathanga which is the sixth of the 12 Jain Agamas said to be promulgated by Mahavira. It also finds mention in the 12th century biography of Parhsvanatha, called the Parsvanatha carita.
A Jain temple housing 20 idols of Tirthankaras was constructed by Vastupala, the prime minister of the Vaghela Dynasty during the reign of King Viradhavala and Visaladeva in the 13th century.
Emperor Akbar is said to have passed a royal decree in the 16th century granting the management of the Shikharji Hill to the Jain community.
Popular Representations
The representation of Shri Sammed Shikharji is one of the popular themes in Jain shrines. In 2012, the world’s first-to-scale complete replication of Shikharji, spread over 120 acres of hilly terrain, was opened in New Jersey, called Shikharji at Siddhachalam; since then, it has become an important place of pilgrimage for the Jain diaspora. There are several smaller replicas of Shikharji at several other Jain temples across India.
Way Forward
The Chief Secretary of Jharkhand in a statement had said that the state government was committed to preserve the sanctity of the place in consonance with the feelings of the Jain community. In the same reference, the state government had already issued directions to the local administration not to serve non-vegetarian food and liquor in the area. Besides, the state government in its Tourism Policy 2022 had specifically mandated the tourism department to develop Parasnath Hills as a Jain pilgrimage centre.
On January 6, 2023, the Union Ministry of Environment withdrew permission for tourism and eco-tourism activities in the vicinity of the Parasnath Wildlife Sanctuary in Jharkhand. A day after the above move by the union government, various leaders of the Santhal tribal community, including an MLA from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) protested saying that the move had “hurt” their religious sentiments because there will be no meat or liquor consumption within ’10 km radius’ of the hill, which is against their tradition of performing animal sacrifices as a religious ritual. As per the Hazaribagh Gazetteer of 1957, the entire land around the Parasnath Hill is owned by the Adivasi community.
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