Pilgrimage to Palitana Jain Temple Complex in Gujarat India

The Jain pilgrimage site near Palitana occupies the heart of Gujarat in western India . Palitana the town lies at the foot of Shatrunjaya Hill, and the Shatrunjaya River flows to the south. Jains have built clusters of temples at five hill locations, and Shatrunjaya Hillis the most important among them. The sacred hill rises in a crescendoed terrace of wonderful temples. In all 863 intricately and exquisitely carved marble shrines and temples climb in marble brilliance to the top of the hill. They rival each other for beauty and magnificence, as their patrons and builders intended, presenting an awe-inspiring spectacle to devoted pilgrims and other visitors. . Over the impressive span of more than 900 years, each generation of penitents and pilgrims made its contribution to the collection of shrines that embody Shatrunjaya. The 2000 foot climb to Shatrunjaya is best made on foot - for reasons both sacred and aesthetic. Doolies or lift-chairs are an option for the infirm or elderly. There are 3900 steps, but it's not as difficult as it may sound at first.

Our ascent proved to be one of those wonderful days that can never be planned, just experienced. We were dropped by car at dawn, just outside the shrine's perimeter. Serendipiously, this was the culmination of Divali week, so thousands of pilgrims and Indian tourists were making the same trek as we were. Doolie carriers caught our scent as potential fares, and converged to offer to carry us to the top, expecting easy dealings. We told them no, but of course were ignored. . We walked thru the bazaar and started up the first of many sets stairs. The dooliewallahs escorted the 4 of us, expecting usto succumb inevitably. We looked in the frist temple as we passed, packed with adherenets, chanting, prayiong and making with music. A spiritual thrumming lifted us along as we began the long steady plod upwards.;The steps were labeled with the elevation, the distance traveled so far, but I didn’t point that out to the others till after we’d reached the top. The dooliemen were confident we'd fade, and their prices began to edge upwards, but only one of our party eventually opted for a chair. The 84 year old senior of our group was determijned to see the top on her own power and she attracted many approving comments as we slowly ascended. The entire way, distractions abounded – men and women carrying loads to the top – firewood, food, water. Families walking along, everyone extremely friendly and curious, and we got to know many people as we met, talked, rested, then continued upwards, only to meet at the next resting place up the hill and offer further encouragement. A beautiful morning emerged, colors crisping as we moved heavenward in gently warming air. We easily consumed our bottles of water and shared the snacks we were carrying

We arrived at the main gate of the summit complex about 10:30 There we found fresh water being distributed from large urns. It was labeled as distilled,this seemed unlikely, but we’d already been drinking local water, so we decided the slight risks were preferable to certain dehydration. Foreigners are required to register, and we had each to sign a book, and then we had to find the separate special office that sold camera chits, granting govenment permission to take pictures. We would have spent several hours wandering about, but we were driving to our next location that afternoon, so time was limited. Each temple had a guardian or two whose main purpose seemed to be to check camera permits and collect baksheesh for doing so. One more enterprising fellow gave us a description of some of the other things we could see, and then led us through several beautifully carved temples. None were as large as the Mount Abu or Ranakpur temples, but the cumulative effect of all these dedications was overwhelming. . Our guide took us up onto the roof of one of the main temples by way of a narrow path with high narrow steps and no railings. The view was stunning in all directions. He’d have taken us around for the rest of the day, but we realized we still had a long drive to our next destination, so reluctantly began our descent.

Only 2 paths ascend the mountain, and for the return we took the one that came out nearby our hotel, which was supposed to be steeper. As it happened, it was relentless – with few breaks in the stairways, unlike the other way which had several long flat spots, the steps poured down the hillside. If we’d gone that way we’d also have missed most of the company, since many fewer people used this back way. About half way down, we were passed by a herd of donkeys, still in their bright magenta Divali paint, and I took a picture of them passing Audrey & Jeanne. The herder, at the rear of the small herd, immediately began berating me loudly for taking the picture, but when she got closer, she agreed to pose with her array of silver jewelry, in return for a modest baksheesh and we all parted amiably. . Mr. Singh was waiting for us at a tea house and we quickly returned to our hotel for a brief tea, then onwards