Its situated at Giridih district, Jharkhand, India, is located on Parasnath, the highest mountain of the Parasnath Range. Parasnath "peak of concentration" because it is a place where twenty of twenty-four Tirthankaras attained moksha through samadhi (meditative practices). The word "Parasnath" is derived from Parshvanatha, the twenty-third tirthankara, who was one of those who is believed to hav
e attained moksha at the site. Shikarji is located in an inland part of rural east India Jharkhand state. It lies on NH 2, the Delhi-Kolkata highway in a section called the Grand Trunk road also Delhi-Kolkata Grand code Rail line Nearest station Name Parasnath. Shikharji rises to 4,429 feet (1,350 m) making it the highest mountain in Jharkhand state. Distance between Parasnath Railway Station to Shikharji 23KM & By NH-2 (ISRI, DUMRI) to Shikharji 20KM. History: The earliest reference to Shikharji as a tirth (place of pilgrimage) is found in the Jñātṛdhārmakātha, one of the twelve core texts of Jainism: at Shikharji, Māllīnātha, the nineteenth tirthankara, practiced samadhi. Shikharji is also mentioned in the Pārśvanāthacarita, a twelfth century biography of Pārśva. The popularity of Shikharji as a site of pilgrimage followed that of Vulture Peak, Bihar, where it is believed the Buddhist Sariputta attained enlightenment. Jharkhand acquired Shikharji under the Bihar Land Reforms Act, leaving the rights of Jains in doubt. Use of Shikharji as a tourist destination also impacts on the religious beliefs of the Jain. Sports such as paragliding and parasailing may take place at Shikharji. Approach: Trail map showing tonks on Parasnath Hill
The pilgrimage to Shikharji is a round trip of 24 kilometre through the Madhuban forest. The section from Gandharva Nala stream to the summit is the most sacred to Jains. The pilgrimage is made on foot or by a litter or doli carried by a doliwallah along a concrete paved track. Along the track are shrines to each of the twenty four tirthankaras and vendors of tea, coffee, water, fruits and snacks. There is a option for parikrama of the entire Parasnath Hill, a pilgrimage of 54 kilometres (34 mi). The parikrama path is throug the forest and is walking only. Temples: The temple at Shikharji is a new construction with some parts dating to the eighteenth century. However, the idol itself is very old. Sanskrit inscriptions at the foot of the image date to 1678. At the base of Shikharji is a temple to Bhomiyaji (Taleti). On the walls of the Jain temple at the village of Madhuban, there is a mural painting depicting all the temples on Parasnath Hill. Temples along the track include:
Ganadhara
Kunthunatha
Rishabhanan
Chandranan
Naminatha
Aranatha
Māllīnātha
Shreyanasanatha
Pushpadanta
Padmaprabha
Munisuvrata
Chandraprabha
Adinath
Anantanatha
Sh*talanatha
Sambhavanatha
Vasupujya
Abhinandananatha
Ganadhara
Jal Mandir
Dharmanatha
Vardhaman
Varishen
Sumatinatha
Shantinatha
Mahavira
Suparshvanatha
Vimalanatha
Ajitanatha
Neminatha
Parshvanatha.
