SACRED SITE

Shatrunjaya Palitana, Gujarat

Shatrunjaya, or the 'Palace of Victory', is considered the most holy of the Jain sacred mountains because nearly all of the 24 Tirthankaras are believed to have attained nirvana while meditating atop it.  Tirthankara is a title given to the enlightened sages of Jainism. rising nearly 2000 feet abvoe the town of Palitana in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district, the founded peak is capped with an enormous complex of 863 temples. While some temples are as old as the 11th century (the religious use of the site is far older), most date from teh early 1500s.

Within the ornately fashioned and impeccably maintained temples are found many hundreds of exquisitely sculpted marbles statues of teh Tirthankaras. Shatrunjaya is the scene of a great pilgrimage festival on the full moon of each Karthika (Oct-Nov). Pilgrims from all over the county flock here to be a part of the celebrations that consists of procession carrying huge pictures of the sacred mountain through the streets of Palitana.