Muktagiri
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Muktagiri (मुक्तागिरि) or Mendhagiri is a Jain pilgrimage centre in Bhainsdehi tehsil of Betul district in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Variants
- Muktagiri मुक्तागिरि, गिरार, मध्य प्रदेश (AS, p.749)
- Mendhagiri (मेंढागिरि)
Location
Muktagiri lies on the Betul-Paratwara road at a distance of about 50 kms from Bhainsdehi in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. It is near the border of Maharashtra and is 14 km from Paratwada in Amravati district of Maharashtra. It is surrounded by a waterfall and several Jain temples built in modern architecture.
History
Digambar Jain Temple (Cave No. 10) & Other Temples, Muktagiri
There are a number of temples constructed by Digambar Jain from time to time them making it a Sidda Kshetra of the Jains of the 52 temples, two are quite old. One of them is the Cave no 10 Digambar Jain temple.
The temple seems to have been built in 13-14th century A.D. There is lotus decoration on both the flanks of the rectangular entrance gate of the rock-cut cave. An image of the 24th Tirthankar Mahavir Swamai is installed in padmasana posture on the entrance gate. There is lotus decoration on both sides of the image and two small images are carved on both the flanks below. The entrance gate is arched. A chaitya vatayan exists on both sides of the entrance gate in the front portion of the cave. A lotus is carved on both the flanks of the gawakshas. The upper portion of the chaitya vatayan is carved with an image of a tirthankara in padmasana.
An elephant is carved on both sides of it, which are shown as performing jalabhishek on the image. There is a chakra carved above the image. The right flank of the chakra is again carved with the figure of a tirthankara. Gawakshas are engraved on three sides in the upper portion of the entrance gate and the vatayans. The interior of the cave and the garbha-griha is square in shape. A mandapa decorated with leaf patterns is based n four pillars in the center of garbha-griha. The mandapa is a circular structure based on two pillars and four kudya stambhas. There are rathikas on all three walls of the cave where images of Jain Tirthankaras are built. Besides, there are other small square rathikas on the flank walls, which are 56 in number. The rathikas are occupied by miniature images of Jain Tirthankaras. It is a state protected monument. Most of the sculpture range from 13th to 20th century A.D.
Muktagiri is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Ref - http://archaeology.mp.gov.in/hi-in/Betul
(112) Muktagiri Statue Records.
Muktagiri is 67 miles, from Badnur, bordering on the Ellichpur taluk of the Amraoti District. It is a hill sacred to the Jainas, and contains 48 temples with about 85 idols of various Tirthankaras, besides 25 enshrined in a new temple built at the foot of the hill. Many of these statues are inscribed, the dates given on them ranging between 1488 and 1893 A. D. Some of the temples have inscriptions bearing the names of their repairers or builders. One is dated in 1634 A. D. The most recent repairer is Bapu Shah of Ellichpur who spent Rs. 22,000 over them in 1896 A.D.
मुक्तागिरि
मुक्तागिरी (AS, p.749): एलिचपुर से 12 मील दूर जंगल के बीच इस पहाड़ी में अनेक गुफा मंदिर हैं जिनमें प्राचीन जैन मूर्तियां अवस्थित हैं. गुफाओं के निकट 52 जैन मंदिर बने हैं. जैन इस स्थान को पवित्र मानते हैं.[1]
मुक्तागिरि, बैतूल मध्य प्रदेश
बैतूल जिले के विकासखण्ड भैसदेही की ग्राम पंचायम थपोडा में जैन तीर्थ मुक्तागिरि स्थित है. यह क्षेत्र पहाडी पर स्थित है तथा क्षेत्र में पहाड पर 52 मन्दिर है तथा पहाड की तहलटी पर 2 मन्दिर है. क्षेत्र पर अधिकतर मन्दिर 16 वी शताब्दी या उसके पश्चात के बने हुये हैं. मुक्तागिरि अपनी सुन्दरता, रमणीयता और धार्मिक प्रभाव के कारण लोगों को अपनी और आकर्षित करता है. इन मंदिरों का संबंध श्रेणीक विम्बसार से बताया जाता है. यहां मंदिर में भगवान पार्श्वनाथ की सप्तफणिक प्रतिमा स्थापित है जो शिल्प का बेजोड नमूना है. जिला मुख्यालय से इसकी दूरी लगभग 102 किलोमीटर है. क्षेत्र पर मन्दिर क्रमांक 10 एक अति प्राचीन मन्दिर है जो कि पहाडी के गर्भ में खुदा हुआ बना है, जो मेंढागिरी के नाम से प्रसिद्ध है, जिसमें भगवान शांतिनाथ की प्रतिमा विराजमान है. [2][3]