Pawapuri

Pawapuri पावापुरी
town
Jal Mandir, the famous Jain temple at Pawapuri
Pawapuri Pawapuri Location in Bihar, India
Coordinates: 25°05′30″N 85°32′20″E / 25.09167°N 85.53889°ECoordinates: 25°05′30″N 85°32′20″E / 25.09167°N 85.53889°E
Country	India
State	Bihar
District	Nalanda
Founded by	Raja Dharmpal
Government
• Type	JDU
Languages
• Official	Magadhi, Hindi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Nearest city	Patna
Website	www.pawapuritirth.org

Pawapuri (Hindi: पावापुरी) or Pava is a holy site for Jains located in the Nalanda district in the Bihar state of Eastern India. It is located about nineteen kilometers from Rajgir and 101 kilometers from Patna, the capital of Bihar.^[1]

History

During the reign of Ajatshatru, Hastipal was the King of Pawapuri. When Lord Mahavira came to Pawapuri he stayed in King Hastipal's "Rajikshala".^[2]

Around 5th Century BCE, Mahavira, the last of the twenty-four Tirthankara attained Nirvana or moksha (liberation). Jains celebrate Diwali to commemorate this event. He was cremated at Pawapuri, also known as Apapuri (the sinless town). There was a great rush to collect his ashes, with the result that so much soil was removed from the place of his cremation that a pond was created.^[3]

Now, an exquisite marble temple in the middle of a lotus pond, the Jal mandir, stands magnificently on a rectangular island. Another Jain temple, called Samosharan is located here, where the Lord Mahavira delivered his last teaching.^[3]

Gaon Mandir is the spot where Mahavira attained Moksha.^[4]

Gallery

• 
  Samosaran temple
• 
  Gaon mandir
• 
  Jal Mandir in Pawapuri
• 
  Jal Mandir

References

1. "Destinations :: Pawapuri ::Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation". Bstdc.bih.nic.in. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
2. "Digambar Jain temple Pavapuri or Pawapuri". Digambarjainonline.com. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
3. "Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation". Pawapuri. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
4. http://www.pawapuritirth.org/gaon-mandir/