Jainism

Author(s): N R Guseva
Publisher: Sindu Publications P L

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JAINISM
(3) City of Rajgir. Here, according to legend, 20th Tirth ankar was born. There is a rocky mountain near the town on which the Jain ascetics performed penance in the course of many centuries in front of the people, coming to see them.
(4) Bhagalpur, where the 12th Tirthankar was born.
Rajasthan: (1) Mount Abu, on the summit of which the whole town of magnificent temples is situated.
(2) The village of Rakhab-Dev near the city of Udaypur. Here there is an ancient temple of the first TirthankarRishabha. The most interesting feature of local culture is worship of the carved image of Rishabha, made of black marble not only by the Jains but also Vaishnavas (regarding the carved image as incarnation of Vishnu) and Bhils (calling it their own god Kala-ji i.e. black god). This is one of the most eloquent confirmations of the assumption about the ancient and initial connections of Jainism with the cult of Vishnu-Krishna and with the pre-Aryan cult.
(3) City of Ranapur on the west of the State, near the city of Jodhpur.
Gujarat: Temples on the mountain of Girnar, where according to legend, the 22nd Tirthankar-Arishtanemi (or Neminath) submerged in Nirvan. The image is carved from black marble.
South Shravanbelgol in the State of Mysore is regarded as the holiest place of pilgrimage. On the mountain of Shravanbelgol, temples of Tirthankars, Parshva and Neminath, built in the tenth-twelfth centuries are situated. The gigantic statue of Gomateshwar, son of Rishabha, carved out of rock is also standing here.'
Usually these pilgrimages are connected with festivals and fasts. Jains observe festivals and fasts of their own religious community. They observe many festivals and fasts of the Hindus too.
The following are purely Jain festivals:
1. Jalyatra—ablution in the river of the sacred wheel
14. The list of places of pilgrimage is given mainly from the book of N. von. Glasenapp, Heilige Stätten Indiens.