Parasnath

Mountain in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India

This article is about the mountain. For the Jain holy site, see Shikharji. For the tirthankara, see Parshvanatha.

Not to be confused with Pareshnath.

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Parasnath

Religion
Affiliation| Jainism
Deity| Parshvanath
Festivals| Moksh Saptami
Parasnath

Sammet Shikhar,[1] Marang Buru[2]

Parasnath Hill

Highest point
Elevation| 1,365 m (4,478 ft)
Prominence| 1,017 m (3,337 ft)
Listing| List of Indian states and territories by highest point, Ribu
Coordinates| 23°57′48″N 86°07′44″E﻿ / ﻿23.9634°N 86.129°E﻿ / 23.9634; 86.129[3]
Naming
Native name| Sarak bhumi (Sanskrit)
Geography

Parasnath

Location of Parasnath peak in Jharkhand

Location| Pirtand CD Block, Giridih, Jharkhand, India
Parent range| Parasnath Range
Climbing
Easiest route| Pilgrimage Treking

Parasnath Hill (also Sammet Shikhar, Marang Buru) is a mountain peak in the Parasnath hill range. It is located towards the eastern end of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Giridih district (Hazaribagh district in British India) of the Indian state of Jharkhand, India.[4] The hill is named after Parshvanatha, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara who got salvation here.[5] In this connection, there is Jain pilgrimage Shikharji on the top of hill. The hill is also known as Sammet Shikhar (lit. 'great mountain', the supreme deity) by other autochthonous of the region in religious contexts.[1][6][7]

## History

[edit]

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.[8] It is revered in Jainism because 20 of its 24 tirthankars are believed to have attained moksha there.[9][10][11] at the age of 100 on Shravana Shukla Saptami according to Lunar Calendar.[12] His moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death) in Jain tradition[13] 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 Range[14] by offering Nirvana Laddu (Sugar balls) and reciting of Nirvana Kanda. Parshvanatha has been called purisādāṇīya (beloved of the people) by Jains.[15][16][17]

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 historically.[2] Recent bans on meat and alcohol, upheld by the Jharkhand High Court in 2025, have exacerbated the conflict, curtailing Santal traditions and fueling protests and counter-petitions in the court.[18] However Jains claim that santhal claim is implausible and illogical and that actually parasnath is a jain pilgrimage since ancient times. They also believe that Jains and Adivasis have co-existed at Parasnath Hill since ancient times, and that when the tirthankaras sought nirvana there, Adivasis traditionally carried them to the summit, a practice that continues today.[18] The earliest literary reference to Shikharji(Parasnath) as a tirth (place of pilgrimage) is found in the Jñātṛdhārmakātha, one of the twelve core texts of Jainism compiled in 6th century BCE by chief disciple of Mahavira. Shikharji is also mentioned in the Pārśvanāthacarita, a twelfth-century biography of Pārśva. A 13th century CE palm-leaf manuscript of Kalpa Sūtra and Kalakacaryakatha has an image of a scene of Parshavanatha's nirvana at Shikharji.[19] This all indicates Parasnath was a jain site since ancient times. Also many historians accept parasnath as the place of Moksh kalyanak(during 772 BCE) of the historical figure Tirthankar Parshvanath .[20][12][21][22]

## Geography

[edit]

16km
9.9miles

Sakri River

Jamunia
River

Barakar
River

Usri Falls

Pareshnath Hill

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 centre
Click 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.[23]

There is a beautiful Jain temple on the mountain peak known as "Svarna Bhadra koot " ("cottage of golden grace").[24] 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.

Shikharji Parasnath Giridih

## Religious heritage

[edit]

### Jainism

[edit]

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.[25] For each Tirthankara there is a shrine (gumti or Tonk) on the hill.[26]

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.[27]

During 772 BCE at the age of 100 on Shravana Shukla Saptami according to Lunar Calendar.[12] Tirthankar Parswanath moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death) in Jaina tradition[13] 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 Range[14] by offering Nirvana Laddu (Sugar balls) and reciting of Nirvana Kanda.

## See also

[edit]

* Shwetambar temple of Lord Parshwanath at foothills of Parasnath hill

* charan paduka of lord parasnath

* "Swarna Bhadra Koot"Temple of lord parasnath on mountain peak

* Notice board on mountain

* waterfall on hill

* "Jal Mandir"A Jain temple over hill

* Temples in valley

* deity of lord pushpadant

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Choudhury, Pranab Chandra Roy (1975). Bihar. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 60.
2. ^ a b 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.
3. ^ Parasnath Hill
4. ^ "Official website of the Giridih district". Retrieved 7 March 2012.
5. ^ "Parasnath / Marang Buru | DISTRICT GIRIDIH, GOVERNMENT OF JHARKHAND | India".
6. ^ Indian Antiquary. Popular Prakashan. 1893. p. 295.
7. ^ Transactions. India Mining, Geological, and Metallurgical Institute of. 1937. p. 61.
8. ^ Jacobi 1964, p. 275.
9. ^ Cort 2010, pp. 130–133.
10. ^ Wiley 2009, p. 148.
11. ^ Dundas 2002, p. 221.
12. ^ a b c Dundas 2002, p. 30.
13. ^ a b Sangave 2001, p. 104.
14. ^ a b Kailash Chand Jain 1991, p. 13.
15. ^ Jacobi 1964, p. 271 with footnote 1.
16. ^ Kailash Chand Jain 1991, pp. 12–13.
17. ^ Schubring 1964, p. 220.
18. ^ a b "Story of a sacred Jharkhand hill at the centre of old friction between Jains & Santals". The Indian Express. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
19. ^ Eastman 1943, p. 95. sfn error: no target: CITEREFEastman1943 (help)
20. ^ Balfour 1885, p. 141. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBalfour1885 (help)
21. ^ Sangave 2001, p. 103.
22. ^ University of Calcutta 1845, p. 256. sfn error: no target: CITEREFUniversity_of_Calcutta1845 (help)
23. ^ "View from Mt. Everest looking south". ViewfinderPanoramas.org. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
24. ^ "Shri Sammed Shikharji - Encyclopedia of Jainism". 21 January 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
25. ^ "Shikharji." Jain V. Herenow4u.net Accessed 26 May 2012
26. ^ "Parasnath | DISTRICT GIRIDIH, GOVERNMENT OF JHARKHAND | India".
27. ^ "The forgotten taleti of Shikharji - Palganj". 15 January 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2023.

### Sources

[edit]

* 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

* v
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State of Jharkhand

Capital: Ranchi

Topics|

* History
* Government
* Geography
* Education
* People
* Tourism
* Highest point
* Cities by area

Divisions
and
Districts|

| Palamu|

* Garhwa
* Palamu
* Latehar

|

North
Chotanagpur|

* Chatra
* Hazaribagh
* Giridih
* Koderma
* Dhanbad
* Bokaro
* Ramgarh

South
Chotanagpur|

* Ranchi
* Lohardaga
* Gumla
* Simdega
* Khunti

Kolhan|

* West Singhbhum
* Seraikela Kharsawan
* East Singhbhum

Santhal
Pargana|

* Deoghar
* Jamtara
* Dumka
* Godda
* Pakur
* Sahebganj

Major cities|

* Jamshedpur
* Dhanbad
* Ranchi
* Bokaro
* Deoghar
* Phusro
* Hazaribagh
* Giridih
* Ramgarh
* Medininagar
* Sahebganj
* Chaibasa
* Dumka

* 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

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