Shri Digambara Jain Siddha Kshetra Chulgiri is one of the famous Jain pilgrimage centers. It is situated at Bawangaja, Barwani in Madhya Pradesh. Bawangaja is almost 8 km away from Barwani and from Indore it is 160 km. Bawangaja is situated at a distance of almost 270 km from Vadodara and 188 km from Khandwa.
Siddha Kshetra Chulgiri is positioned on highest peak of Satpura Mountain Range. The Chulgiri Kshetra dates back to more than about 2000 years. According to one inscription that has been found here the main temple of Chulgiri was constructed in Samvat 1223. The Chulgiri temple situated on the hilltop is also known as Siddha Bhoomi because eminent scholars like Indrajeet, Kumbhakaran and other attained emancipation here through self-meditation. According to the inscriptions found here Chulgiri is an ancient temple whose construction and restoration work was done in Samvat 1116, 1223 and 1508.
Architecture of Shri Digamber Jain Siddha Kshetra Chulgiri
The architectural work and the structural art of Chulgiri is worth watching. The temple houses the Khadgasana idol of Lord Adinath. It is a huge idol of 84 feet and has been beautifully carved out. This huge image has made this Teerth Kshetra, Chulgiri world famous and a popular tourist destination. The idol of Lord Adinath has been built of brown stone. It is the principal deity of Chulgiri Siddha Kshetra. The idol has been carved out by cutting the rock of one single mountain. The idol of Bhagwan Rishabh Dev stands on base of mountain. On the left side of the idol 4 armed `Gomukh Yaksha` is installed and on the right side of the image a magnificent idol of 16 armed `Yakshi Chakreshvary` is established. Another idol of Lord Ajitnath has been installed here that has been carved attractively on a stone slab.
The three ancient foot images of scholars like Indrajeet, Kumbhakaran and the other can be seen here. The main alter of the temple also houses two idols of Lord Mallinath and Lord Chandraprabha. Apart from these many other idols are also installed on both sides in the mahamandap.
Apart from these temples there are many other temples located here in Kshetra. There are 11 temples on top of the hill and 19 other temples located at the base of the hill. 13 other temples are surrounded by a rampart while 6 temples have been constructed separately. There is another beautiful Jain temple located at Barwani. The principal deity of this temple is Lord Neminath. The temple is worth watching for his architectural beauty.
The place can be easily accessed by road. Buses are available for Bawangaja from Barwani District Headquarter. The nearest railway Station is Indore that is160 km from Barwani. The nearest airport is Indore.
