Nemgiri

Nemgiri
Neminatha idol
Religion
Affiliation	Jainism
Deity	Parshvanatha
Festival	Mahavir Jayanti
Location
Location	Jintur, Parbhani district, Maharashtra
Interactive map of Nemgiri
Coordinates	19°36′31.3″N 76°41′04.7″E
Architecture
Creator	Rashtrakuta dynasty
Established	8th-9th Century
Temple	2
Website
http://www.nemgiri.org/

Nemgiri is a place in Jintur taluka of Parbhani district of Maharashtra state of India. Nemgiri is particularly known for its Jain temple which is protected by state government and Archaeological Survey of India.

The site consists of two hills, Nemgiri and Chandragiri, situated about 3 kilometres from Jintur. The Parbhani district administration describes the two hills as being known for their ancient Jain cave temples and chaityalayas.

History

Nemgiri is named after twenty-second Jain tirthankara Neminatha. In Marathi language or originally in Sanskrit, Nemi is for Neminatha while giri means mountain. The historical development of the Jain site is not securely established. A regional study of Jainism in Maharashtra records Jintur, identified with the historical name Jainpur, as a centre of Jain activity and specifically discusses the Jain caves at modern Jintur-Nemgiri.

The same study identifies Jain sculptures in the first four caves, including images of Adinatha, Shantinatha, Neminatha, Parshvanatha and Bahubali, together with a representation of the Panchaparameshthi. It tentatively assigns these caves to the late Yadava period. The late-Yadava attribution is tentative rather than a securely established construction date. Consequently, the existing attribution of Nemgiri to the 8th–9th centuries and to the Rashtrakuta dynasty should not be presented as established fact without a more specific archaeological or epigraphical source.

The Parbhani district administration states that the area was historically known as Jainpur and associates its development with the reign of the Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha. However, this government description does not itself establish that the surviving Nemgiri caves were excavated during the Rashtrakuta period.

Caves and temples

Nemgiri and the neighbouring Chandragiri contain a group of Jain cave temples and chaityalayas. The Parbhani district administration identifies the complex as an important Jain religious site in the Marathwada region.

There are two temples and seven caves on the two hills. The hills are named as Nemgiri and Chandragiri respectively.

Nemgiri caves

On Nemgiri hill there are seven caves. The caves have tiny entrances but the idols inside are quite large. The first four caves are particularly significant for their sculptural programme. They contain images of Adinatha, Shantinatha, Neminatha, Parshvanatha and Bahubali, as well as a representation of the Panchaparameshthi. The concentration of Tirthankara images indicates that the caves served a devotional function within the Jain religious complex. The surviving sculptures include both individual Tirthankara images and groups representing important figures within Jain religious tradition.

The fifth cave is associated with the image traditionally known as Antariksha Parshvanatha. This name refers to the Jain religious tradition surrounding the image; claims concerning its miraculous suspension should be treated as religious tradition rather than as an archaeological explanation. The sixth and seventh caves contain additional Jain images and form part of the same rock-cut complex. The caves should be understood together with the neighbouring Chandragiri hill and the modern temples at Jintur as components of a larger Jain pilgrimage landscape.

Architecture and sculpture

Nemgiri is a rock-cut Jain complex rather than a conventional group of freestanding temples. The caves were excavated into the hill and subsequently provided with Jain images. Their small entrances and relatively large interior sculptures are among the notable physical characteristics of the site. The sculptural programme is dominated by Tirthankaras. The images recorded in the first four caves include Adinatha, Shantinatha, Neminatha and Parshvanatha, while Bahubali and the Panchaparameshthi are also represented.

The presence of several Tirthankaras and other Jain figures in a single hill complex reflects the site's function as a place of Jain worship and pilgrimage.

Religious significance

Nemgiri is an important Jain pilgrimage site and is associated particularly with the Digambara Jain tradition. The site is classified by the Jain community as an Atishaya Kshetra, a pilgrimage centre associated with extraordinary religious significance. The historical and archaeological significance of the site, however, should be distinguished from religious traditions concerning miraculous events and the antiquity of individual images.

The neighbouring Chandragiri hill is also part of the pilgrimage complex. Together, the two hills preserve Jain caves, rock-cut images and chaityalayas and form the principal Jain archaeological landscape associated with Jintur.

Modern site

The present pilgrimage centre includes Jain temples and facilities associated with the Nemgiri–Chandragiri complex. The government of Maharashtra identifies the site as a Jain religious and tourist destination and records its location approximately 3 kilometres from Jintur.

See also

• Antarikṣa Pārśvanātha Tīrtha

References

Bibliography

• Barvalia, Gunvant (2013). Gunvant Barvalia (ed.). Development and Impact of Jainism in India & Abroad. Mumbai: Arham Spiritual Centre's SKPG Jain Philosophical & Literary Research Centre. pp. 101–102.
• ASI. "Protected Monuments in Maharashtra". Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
• District Administration Developed. "Shri Digambar Jain Atishaya Kshetra Nemgiri Sansthan, Jintur". Government of Maharashtra. Retrieved 13 April 2022.