Parasnath Hill

Parasnath, called Shikharji by Jains, rises to about 1,350 metres, the highest point in Jharkhand, and it is the most sacred site in Jainism: twenty of the twenty-four tirthankaras are held to have attained moksha on the summit ridge, including Parshvanatha, who gives the hill its common name. Pilgrims climb barefoot from Madhuban at the base, a circuit of around twenty-seven kilometres taking most of a day, visiting a series of small shrines, tuks, along the ridge marking each liberation. Many complete it before dawn. The hill is forested and the surrounding area is home to Santhal communities.

History

The hill is named after Parshvanatha, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara, who by Jain tradition attained liberation here, and it has long been a place of Jain pilgrimage. The earliest literary reference to Shikharji as a tirtha is in the Jñātṛdharmakathā, one of the core Jain texts, and it is also named in the twelfth-century Pārśvanāthacarita, a biography of Pārśva (Wikipedia, Parasnath).

What you'll find

• The summit shrines - small tuks along the ridge marking each tirthankara.
• The barefoot climb - a twenty-seven kilometre circuit from Madhuban.
• The forest - wooded slopes covering the hill.
• The Madhuban temples - the base settlement with Jain temples and lodgings.

When to go

October to March; the climb is punishing in heat and the monsoon makes the path slippery. Most pilgrims start between midnight and three in the morning to finish before the day warms.

Before you go

The circuit is long, steep and done barefoot, taking eight to twelve hours; doli chairs carried by porters are available and expensive. Leather is prohibited. Facilities on the hill are minimal.

Nearby

Giridih lies north; Deoghar is northeast.

Key facts