The Stunning Jain Temples at Mahudi in Gujarat State in India

There is a large population of Jains in India today among Hindus. Though, they are called Jains, they are part of Hindus. Jains believe in non violence more strongly than Hindus as taught by their god Mahavir Swami. There are many special places of pilgrimage for Jains all over India. One of such vital spot of pilgrimage for Jains is located at Mahudi near Gandhinagar in the State of Gujarat in India. Lots of pilgrims keep on visiting this holy, sacred and famous spot all through the year.

Mahudi is around 36 miles away from Ahmedabad. Lots of State transport buses are available from Ahmedabad bus station for Mahudi. It hardly takes around an hour to reach Mahudi from Ahmedabad. The roads are also very nice and drive is very smooth. The best way to visit Mahudi is by the independent hired car or taxi. The round trip packaged tours by luxury buses are also available from all major cities of Gujarat State. The Jain temples here are covered in around 2 square kilometers area. The main temple is of Ghantakarna Mahavir Swami that is provided with the solid gold kalash on top of it. The statue is made up of smooth, high quality marble and is around 5 feet tall. The eyes of the statue are really piercing and hypnotic. If you look in to these eyes for around 2 minutes, you will feel as if you are in a state of deep faith and respect for the god. There are special individual temples of all 24 Jain tirthankars here. Each temple has its own specialty in design and the engraving.

You can donate the money as per your wish at the counters the temple trust has provided. The Prasad of sweet sukhdis made out of pure ghee is given to all the pilgrims based on the money they have donated. In addition to this, the large collection of sukhdis is kept in big container for the poor and needy people. The sukhdis served here as Prasad in the temple is simply superb and very tasty. There is one big bell kept at a height of around 25 meters here at the temple. You need to climb around 48 steps in a very narrow walkway to reach up to this bell to ring it. It is said that if you can reach up through the staircase and able to ring the bell, you will go to heaven after your death and no pains or miseries shall come to you during your whole life. If you are trim and slim, then only you will be able to reach up to this bell. The temple remains closed between 12 noon to 4 pm in the afternoon. So, make sure to reach in early morning hours at this temple. The raksha potlis are supplied free of cost at the temple. These are to be tied on the hands so as to get the full holy and spiritual protection from evil spirits. One most important aspect is that you are not supposed to carry the Prasad of sukhdi outside the temple complex in any case. It is said that if you take sukhdi outside the temple complex, something very bad shall happen to you and your family.

There is a big cafeteria here at the temple that serves lunch, dinner, and snacks at very reasonable rates. The lunch and dinner are served at a rate of Rs.20 (50 cents) per head. The lunch served is fully vegetarian and do not contain any onions or potatoes based on Jain food principles. The hot and mouth watering Gujarati snacks are also sold here at the rate of Rs.5 (13 cents) per plate. Make sure to have your lunch here before you finally start your return journey to your destination. There are some rooms also available for the pilgrims who would like to stay here for the night to take part in both morning and evening arthis. These rooms are allotted at very nominal rates of Rs.50 ($1.25) per day. You need to book this room around 2 to 3 weeks in advance. The special pujas are held on many auspicious days here like the birthday of Mahavir Swami, known as Mahavir jayanti. Thousands of pilgrims visit this temple on such occasions. There is also a temple of Kotyark here for Vaishnavs here at Mahudi. This vaishnav temple is around 2 miles away from the main Jain temples.

I have been visiting Mahudi number of times during last 10 years and I strongly recommend all my friends to visit this temple in Gujarat when ever the opportunity comes their way.