Shree Hastinapur Shwetamber Jain tirth

Sh. Hastinapur Jain Shwetambar Tirth is a very important place of pilgrimage for Jain for this place boasts of 4 kalyanaks each of Sh. Shantinath Bhagwan, Sh. Kunthunath Bhagwan and Sh. Arnath Bhagwan (i.e. a total if 12 kalyanaks). These kalyanak include chyavan kalyanak (coming into the womb of the mother), janam kalyanak (birth), diksha kalyanak (sainthood) and kevalgyan kalyanak (attaining enlightenment) of three of these tirthankars. Also this place is significant due to the fact that our first tirthankar Sh. Aadinath Bhagwan conducted his paarna (broke his fast) at the hands of his great-grandson Shreyans Kumar with sugarcane juice after fasting for 12 months. Besides, this was the land of construction of samvasaran of Bhagwan Mallinath.

This place was also visited by Bhagwan Munisuvrat Swami, Parshwnath Bhagwan and Bhagwan Mahavir Swami. Hastinapur was the capital of the Kauravas and the Pandvas in the times of the Mahabharat. It is the birthplace of six of the twelve Chakravartis beginning with Bharat - Chakravarti. This is also the birth place of Parashuram of the times of the Ramayana. Words fail to describe the grandeur and glory of this place. The idols of this temple are very ancient. However the temple remained in oblivion due to some un-known reasons until Acharya Vijay Samudra Suri Ji (of Vijay Vallabh Suri Ji sect) visited this place in 1960’s and got the jirnodhwar of this tirth done. He got a new shikharbadh temple constructed and got the ancients idols placed in them. The moolnayak (main idol) is of Sh. Shantinath Bhagwan with the idols of Sh. Kunthunath Bhagwan and Sh. Arnath Bhagwan on either sides in separate enclosures.

There is also a Paarna-Mandir in the vicinity of the main temple which has a beautiful idol of Sh. Aadinath Bhagwan taking sugarcane juice from Shreyans Kumar. In front of this temple is paarna-hall. Thousands of people from far off places converge here every year on Akshay Tritya (Vaishakh Sudi 3) to break their fasts after completion of their year long varsi-tapp. Besides, a fair is held on the full-moon day of the month of Kartik (Kartik-Poonam) every year. Annual flag-hoisting ceremony (dhwajarohan) is also held on this very day. The place has all the facilities of boarding and lodging.

The original place of varsi-tapp paarna (breaking of fast) of Sh. Aadinath Bhagwan at the hands of Shreyans Kumar is located at a distance of about a kilometer from the main temple and is called Shri Nishiya Ji. This place has got the charan-paduka’s (foot-prints) in marble of Sh. Aadinath Bhagwan. Recently a huge 151 feet tall temple called ‘Shri Ashtapad Jain Shwetambar Tirth’ has also come up in the vicinity. It is a unique multi-crore project and one of its kinds in India. The nearest railway station is at Meerut (U.P.) which is at a distance of 37 kms and Delhi is at a distance of 120 kms from here. The place is easily accessible by road.