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Andrea Luithle-Hardenberg, The "99fold" pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya
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The second set of rules refers to the daily repetitions of pilgrimages on the main route: All in all a navanu yatrik has to complete the pilgrimage to the main temple of Adishvar on the peak of Shatrunjaya 108 times. According to the pilgrims they perform 99 times in remembrance of Adinath's 99 purva pilgrimages, and 9 times for one's own spiritual protection (sva jiv daya). Furthermore every single pilgrimage implies obligatory liturgical rituals at the five prescribed sacred sites on the route to the main temple of Adinath." Therefore it is mandatory to visit the following sites during every single pilgrimage on the main route: The first place of worship is located at the northern foot of the hill, which faces Palitana. At the so-called Jay Taleti (praising the foot”) Jaina devotees worship a non-iconical piece of rock in a way which is usually reserved for the images of fordmakers. This rock represents the eternal, sacred mountain itself, which is considered to be tirthadhiraja, the king of all pilgrimage places. Furthermore the pilgrims worship Adinath, whose footprints are installed in several shrines around the Taleti rock. Sometimes, the Taleti rock itself is said to symbolically represent the feet of the first fordmaker. Starting from Jay Taleti a pilgrim reaches the walled city of temples on the summit of the mountain Shatrunjaya only after at least an hour's strenuous ascent. Here, all the other four obligatory destinations are situated within the compound of the main temple of Adinath, which covers the south-eastern part of the peak. In fact, despite the great number of temples and shrines, the vast majority of pilgrims focus on these places only while performing their pilgrimage. This main route also entails the second mandatory destination, the Shantinath temple. A sanctuary of the 16th fordmaker is included into the main route because this Jina is considered to have spent eight rainy seasons meditating on the summit of Shatrunjaya while observing a complete fast.19 The third site is a small shrine which is situated under a rayana tree and harbors huge footprints of Adinath. This is believed to be the very spot were the first fordmaker delivered his sermons during his many pilgrimages. Therefore, the tree itself as well as its leaves and fruits are an object for veneration. The fourth sanctuary on the main route is dedicated to Adinath's grandson and first disciple (ganadhara) Pundarik, who was the first to have attained salvation on Shatrunjaya in our era of time.20 The entrance of the Pundarika temple faces the gate of the main temple of Adinath, which
18 On their way, pilgrims may include other sites of their choice, but in contrast to the five main destinations, these are not obligatory. Anyway, most of the pilgrims usually go straight to the compound of the main temple of Adinath on the south-eastern peak of the mountain without a detour, for example to the temples on the north-western summit. 19 Except for Adinath, no other fordmaker is believed to have visited Shatrunjaya more often than Shantinath. According to the legend, 15,255,777 ascetics attained salvation here while spending the rainy season under the spiritual guidance of Shantinath. See Weber (1901: 250) for a short reference. Modern pilgrimage almanacs give Shantinath's story in detail; see for example, Gunaratna Suri (1997: 164ff). 20 Interestingly, Pundarik's image has all the characteristics of the images of the fordmakers. He is depicted in the typical meditation posture and not as usual for an ascetic leader with the right hand raised for blessing. Furthermore, the liturgical ritual of veneration, as well as the eightfold worship, is performed in the same way as to a fordmaker.
