Antim Kevali Shri 1008 Jambu Swami Nirvan Sthal Digambar Jain Mandir located in Chaurasi Mathura in Uttar Pradesh is a Jain pilgrimage centre. It is a Siddha Kshetra i.e. Place of Salvation.
History of Mathura Chaurasi
According to the history of Mathura Chaurasi the first kevali to initiate the tradition of moksha in the present yug or age in chaturtha kaal was Anantvirya Bhagvan Bhaubali. The 24 Jain Tirthankars next followed the path of salvation and attained nirvana, thus getting rid of the cycle of life. Jambu Swami was the Last Kevali of Chaturtha kaal to become the disciple of Gandhar Sudharmacharya to Lord Mahavira. Vanshiya Jambukumar was the only Vaishya to attain nirvana at age of 84 in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. At that time Mathura was enveloped by natural surroundings and remained bordered by 84 dense forests. It was from that day that the place came to be known as Chaurasi which is Hindi of 84.
Temple of Digambar Jain Mandir
The temple of Digambara Jain Mandir is dedicated to Lord Ajitnath, the second Jain Tirthankara. The temple also houses the foot images of Jambuswami that is installed on the main vedi. The foot images were discovered at Jambuswami. Later on when the temple was built they were installed Mathura Samaj. The main idol of the temple Lord Ajitnath has been carved out of white stone. The idol was discovered from Gwalior during some excavation work of land. It lay beneath the earth which was then dug out and installed in the temple. Apart from this there are more 9 vedis in the temple of Lord Parshvanatha, Lord Neminath and Lord Mahavira.
Two special vedis have also been constructed here for the standing karyotsargs statues of first Kevali Bahubali Swami and last Kevali Jambu Swami. The two statues facing each other has been made artistically temple. The main temple houses a big hall which has the capacity of accommodating more than 500 people for puja and discourses. Apart from these Jain Gurukul Mandir, Adinath Mandir, Jambu Swami Bada Mandir are also located here that are worth visiting.
Digambar Jain Mandir is situated near a beautiful forest and Yamuna River. These natural surroundings add beauty to the temple and enthral the pilgrims. The temple has provisions for dharamshalas or rest houses for the pilgrims. There are two dharmashalas which are equipped with modern facilities. One more dharmashala is located in Mathura city which also caters to Jain Samaj.
Digambar Jain Mandir is well connected to road, rail and air. The temple is situated on N.H. 2 on Delhi Mathura Highway which is 4 Km north of Mathura. Buses and taxis are available for this kshetra. The nearest Railway Station is located at Mathura on Main Delhi-Mumbai line and all major trains stop at a distance of 5 km from this place. The nearest Airport is located at Agra which is 60 km from here and at Delhi located at 140 Km from here.
