A Pilgrimage Trip to Sammed Shikharji or Parashnath Hill

July 30, 2023

Sammed Shikharji is one of the holiest pilgrimage destination for the Jain community. Most people refer this place as Shikharji, ‘the venerable or worshipped peak’. It is located in the Giridih district, in the state of Jharkhand, India. The actual location of Shikharji is on the Parashnath hill which is the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It has a range of hills having an altitude of 1365m of the highest peak and with a prominence of 993m.

Shikharji has importance for Jain pilgrimage because it is the place where 20 out of 24 tirthankars attained nirvana. For all of them, the state of emancipation happened through fasting and meditation. These helped them to end all the karmas and attain the stage of moksha wherefrom there will be no rebirth. For each tirthankar, there is a shrine (gumti or tonk) on the hill. The original Jain temples are believed to be constructed by King Bimbisara of Magadh, Bihar during 543-491BC. The temples were restored in 1678AD as written in the Sanskrit inscriptions. The temples are revered by both Digambar and Swetambar sects. Near Parasnath hill, there is a beautiful Swetambar Jain museum which one must visit. The must visit place of significance is the Bhomiyaji temple which is very famous among the Jains. This temple is on the base level of the Parasnath hills and one must pray in this temple before going for a trek.

The pilgrimage can be made on foot covering 12000 steps or by a Doli along a concrete paved track. Total trek is 27km, 9km uphill, 9km downhill and 9km visiting all the temples. Even if you skip some of the remote temples, then total trek will reduce to 21km.The trek is through the Madhuban forest. The most important temples are Jal mandir, Gautam Swami temple, Chandraprabhu temple and Parasnath temple. The best time for visiting Shikharji is from October to March. The month of January is also not very convenient because of cold and late sunrise. The doli is prepared with a chair for sitting one pilgrim on it. It is carried by four experienced people of local origin. The cost comes out to be Rs. 5000/- (in 2023). The rate may vary during peak seasons. One should start early in the morning around 4’o clock and return back before evening. In the evening one can have a good oil massage to reduce the stiffness of legs and the whole body.

One can go to Shikharji from Dhanbad by car or taxi, the road distance is around 40km. The distance from Kolkata to Parasnath hill is 313km by road via NH19, duration 6hrs. There are a number trains from Howrah station having stoppage at Parasnath station, the time taken is approximately 4:30 to 6 hrs. The nearest airport is Birsa Munda at Ranchi. The distance between Ranchi to Parasnath by road is 153km and the time taken is 4:30min. Distance between Giridih to Parasnath is 45.5km via NH114A, duration 1hr by car.

For food and lodging, a number of hotels, guest houses and Dharamshalas are available catering people of different economical background. One can get all possible facilities without any difficulty