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Andrea Luithle-Hardenberg, The “99fold" pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya
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role of a cultural hero in Jaina mythology. He first established the Jaina community and Jaina kingship before renouncing it and becoming the first Jaina ascetic of our era." Thus, in the context of pilgrimage (yatra) to Shatrunjaya, devotees always refer to Rshabha as "Adinath" or "Adishvar", thereby stressing this fordmaker's role as the ‘first'. Accordingly, during the period of his ascetic wanderings Adinath also performed the first pilgrimage to the eternal mountain Shatrunjaya. It is said that he performed the pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya as many as 99 purva times and that he delivered sermons on every occasion. His example inspired some of his own descendants to undertake the same. The most famous of them is Adinath's grandson Pundarik, who came to Shatrunjaya as his first disciple. He was also the first of countless saints, who are said to have attained salvation at the very spot." However, to be precise, for the Shvetambara this deed alone did not bring about the fame and uniqueness of Shatrunjaya as the "king of pilgrimage places” (tirthadhiraja). In fact, the exceptional importance of Shatrunjaya rather stems from the idea that the mountain is shashvat, literally meaning "etei.ial” and indestructible. Within a vast and constantly changing universe' Shatrunjaya is considered the only eternal place accessible to human beings in our "dark age" (kali yug). Therefore it is believed that only those people who collected sufficient spiritual merits in their previous lives are able to complete a pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya and that a successful pilgrimage guarantees salvation after some rebirths. Thus, Shatrunjaya is seen as a ford to salvation in a very literal sense, because even though the Jaina doctrine holds that it is impossible to gain salvation in the current era of time, a successful pilgrimage is very effective in bringing a pilgrim closer to that remote goal. When asked about the purpose of their pilgrimage, many pilgrims, not only the navanu participants, offer an interpretation of the very name of the holy mountain. Shatrunjaya literally means "the conqueror of enemies." For the pilgrims, this
11 For the crucial role of Adinath see Folkert (1993: 152). 12 Some of these legends are referred to in the medieval Shvetambara literature and some are not. The few available translations of primary sources are Weber 1901 and Cort 1993. However, the main sources of my analysis are oral references to mythology and legends made by the pilgrims in personal communication. Moreover, I carefully studied contemporary pilgrimage guides, for example: Dhami (2000), Gunaratna Suri (1997; 1998; 1999), Seth Anandji Kalyanji (1976 [V.S.2031]), Varaiya (1980 [V.S. 2035]). A version of Adinath's life story in English, although making only occasional reference to Shatrunjaya, can be found in Johnson (trans. 1931-54), Vol. I. 13 This event is celebrated every year on the full moon in Caitra (March/April). See Weber (1901: 249) for an early reference in the Shatrunjaya Mahatmyam. Because of Pundarika's salvation on Shatrunjaya, the hill is also called Pundarik Giri. 14 For detailed descriptions of Shatrunjaya's location within the Jaina cosmos, see Luithle-Hardenberg (in print); for a comprehensive summary of the Jaina cosmography see Glasenapp (1984 (1925): 214-43) and Caillat and Kumar (1981). Due to this special eternal quality, Shatrunjaya is considered to be a place with a direct link to the place of salvation, Siddhashila, and that again enabled uncounted souls to attain salvation on this hill, including important protagonists of Shvetambara myths and legends, whose spiritual liberations are recalled in several festivals of pilgrimage and are observed by all image-worshipping Shvetambaras.
