 Bhatkuli Jain Temple is actually known as "Adinath Swami Digambar Jain Samsthan Bhatkuli Jain". It is an Atishaya Kshetra which means "Place of Miracles". Shri Bhatkuli is the transformed name of Bhojkut City of ancient Vidharba that was established by King Rukmi, brother of Lord Krishna's chief queen, Rukmini. Bhatkuli is famous for the eye-catching, ancient idol of Bhagwan Adinath made of black stone in the period of "Mahabharata". He established the idol in a magnificent temple, which the archaeologists say is 3000 years old. Later Bhatkuli was ruled by dynasties namely the Satavahanas, Vatakas and Rashtrakutas, but after these kingly eras, the downfall started. In 1156, the idol was shoved underground in a fort, to save it from the vengeance of the Mughals. It remained hidden in that manner till the 18th century.
The principal deity is Lord Adinath which is in black colour and shown seated in a cross-legged posture. Villagers of Bhatkuli have same faith in this idol as Jains have. So this village is known as Bhatkuli Jain all over India. Bhatkuli Temple changes its shade in the "Rath Yatra Utsav" every year in 5th of Kartik Shukla. The other temples in the neighbourhood worth a visit are "Bhagwan Parshvanatha Mandir", "Bhagwan Chandranatha Mandir" and Unique Artistic Manstambha. Legend of Bhatkuli Jain Temple In the later part of the 18th century, the statue of Adinath was dreamt by the chief of the village Bhatkuli. The Lord explained to him that in that particular spot where the idol was hidden, a cow continuously gave up her milk. Accordingly the chief ordered a thorough search by digging the place and the miraculous statue of Adinath Swami was recovered. The villagers then started to believe that the idol had supernatural powers, to heal their wishes, thus revering it with faith and worship. Much later, Pujya Acharya Shri Nemsagarji Maharaj came to the village of Bhatkuli, and seeing the statue, he instantly recognised it to be the ancient idol of Bhagwan Adinath, the 1st Tirthankara of Jains and persuaded the villagers about the fact. In this manner a beautiful Digambar Jain Temple was constructed to place the idol with unquestionable help of the villagers. How to Reach Bhatkuli Jain Temple Bhatkuli Jain Temple is accessible by train, and one has to get down at Badnera station on Central Railway 10 km away from Amravati. Auto-rickshaws and buses are available from here. The nearest airport is Nagpur which is 160 km away from the Jain Temple. (Last Updated on : 04-08-2015) |
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