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Jaina Community-A Social Survey
(iv) the places where the Tirthankaras achieved Kevalajñāna or omniscience, for example, Hastinapura where 16th, 17th and 18th Tirthankaras, namely, Lord Santinatha, Lord Kunthunatha and Lord Aranātha achieved omniscience, etc.
(v) the places where the Tirthankaras realised emancipation, for example, Sammedaśikhara, for salvation of twenty Tirhankaras, etc.
(vi) the places where the great ascetic lived and achieved liberation, for example, Satruñjaya in Kathiawar, Gajapantha, Mängitungi, Kunthalagiri in Maharashtra etc. (vii) the places famous for their beautiful temples or wonderful idols, for example, Abu mountain in Rajasthan, Śravanabelgola in Karnataka, etc.
The Jainas divide their Tirthakshetras into two broad categories, namely, the Siddhakshetras or Nirvanakshetras, that is, the places from where either the Tirthankaras or other great ascetics realised their liberation, and the Atisayakshetras, that is, the places which are sacred for other reasons.211 Thus the places mentioned under (v) and (vi) above come under the category of Siddhakshetras and the remaining under that of Atisayakshetras. At times the idols in certain places are believed to bestow great favours on their devotees. Hence such places are also considered as Atisayakshtras and their number is increasing even now. Recently Mahaviraji and Padmapuri in Rajasthan are added to this type of Atisayakshetras.212
The number of Jaina Tirthakshetras is great. Because of the downfall of Jainism, many Jaina Tirthas have been forgotten and not a few have been appropriated by other religionists. The Jaina idol of Lord Parsvanatha at the Badrinatha Tirtha has been turned by the Hindus into that of Badriviśāla and it is worshipped by the Hindus in that form.213 The Jainas maintain that the famous temple of Vithoba at Pandharapura in Maharashtra, the biggest place of pilgrimage of the Hindus, once belonged to the Jainas but the Brāhmaṇas forcibly converted their idol of Lord Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara, into that of the Hindu God Vithoba.214 The same plea is made by the Jainas regarding the Hindu temples of Ambabai and Vishnu at Kolhapur. Kolhapur is an Atisayakshetra of
