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History of Patan Jain Teerth According to the history of the Patan Jain Teerth the city dates back to the year 802 of the Vikram Samvat Era. During this time this city was named as Anhilpur Patan. The idol is more ancient than the temple. The idol was brought by King Vanraj Chavda from Panchasara. Earlier Panchasara served as the capital of his ancestors. The king installed this beautiful idol in Patan under the auspices of Shri Sheelagunsuriji. The idol thus became famous as Panchasara Parshvanatha. Later many other temples were built here during the rule of the Kumarpal and other kings of the Chalukya Dynasty. In the year 1648 many temples were built here under the instruction of Shri Lalitprabhasursvarji. Among the list of temples made in the Vikram Samvat Era, there were 101 big temples (Derasar) and 99 small temples. Thousands of idols were installed in these temples. It is said that among these 38 idols were made of gems. Thus from year 802 till today many temples were built in the city of Patan. With time many temples got destroyed but they were renovated. Patan is referred to as the golden city. It is a rich city that has been popular for wealth, prosperity, trade and bravery. Acharya Hemchandra has written many scriptures here. Even today, Patan serves as a seat of Jain literature, art and culture. Temple of Patan Jain Teerth The Patan Jain Teerth houses the idol of Bhagawan Panchasara Parshwanath. The idol is nearly 120 cms in height and is white in colour. The idol is seated in a Padmasana posture. Apart from this there are many other temples located here. There are 84 big temples and 134 small temples (Derasar) in the 55 streets of this city. Besides it also houses Hemchandra Acharya's library and many Jain institutions. The temples are magnificently designed with beautiful architectural work. As art work speak of the efficient of the craftsmen. As Patan had been a prosperous city from the ancient times, one can find relics of ancient art here. The Ranivava and the Sahasraling Lake are among ancient sculptural works. A special king of sari, Patolas are very famous even today. The temple also has provisions for lodging for the pilgrims visiting the temple. There are also many Upashrayas also. The Patan Jain Teerth can be easily reached via rail and road. The railway station of Patan is located at a distance of three kilometres from the temple. Mehsana is at a distance of 30 kilometres, Siddhpur is at a distance of 19 kilometres and Charup is at a distance of 10 kilometres from here. |
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