Shri Digambar Jain Kshetra located in the Indian state of Panagar in Madhya Pradesh is a Jain pilgrimage centre. It is an Atishaya Kshetra i.e. Place of Miracles. Panagar is a city in Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh. It is located on Jabalpur-Katni way.
History of Panagar
According to history Panagar is an ancient city and was once a very prosperous. The place is scattered with plenty of broken fragments and ruins of beautiful Jain temples. Many damaged idols have also been discovered from this place. The temples and idols depict the Kalchuri Art and sculpture of ancient period. The temple housing the deity of Lord Shantinath belongs to 10-11 century. The idol is not visible as the lower part i.e. the portion below the feet of idol is embedded inside the earth. The idol was found to be lying underneath the earth. It was thus dug out from the earth near `Pond Baleha.` The `Throne of Jati Baba`, which is almost 500 years ancient, is also present here. It is also believed that a tunnel was there to reach Sonagiri from Panagar which cannot be seen now.
Temple of Digamber Jain Kshetra
The temple of Digambar Jain Kshetra is very ancient and has been decorated with intricate architectural designs. The Digambara Jain Bada Mandir is main temple of Panagar. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shantinath. The idol is 9 feet in height and is in a standing posture. It has been carved beautifully and is worshipped by devotees from different places. Another attractive idol of Lord Parshvanatha is also installed in the temple. The beautiful idol is 5 feet in height and is seated in a padmasana posture. There are 13 altars in this area. The attractive idols of forth period are can be seen in a seated posture in `Panchayati Mandir.` These marvelous idols are also worth seeing. Apart from these there are many other temples located here.
Shri Panchayati Digamber Jain Mandir is dedicated to Lord Parshvanatha. The temple is beautifully decorated and is visited by many pilgrims. Shri Neminath Digambar Jain Bazar Mandir houses the principal deity of Lord Neminath is also worth visiting. Shri Chandraprabhu Digamber Jain Mandir is another famous temple located here that is dedicated to Lord Chandraprabha. Another famous temple situated here is Shri Digambar Jain Nayakji Mandir. The principal deity of the temple is Lord Chandraprabha. Shri Digambar Jain Parshvanatha Chaityalaya located in Panagar is also visited by many pilgrims and is dedicated to Lord Parshvanatha.
The temple of Digambar Jain Kshetra is situated near a pond and is surrounded by scenic beauty that mesmerizes the pilgrims. A fair and grand consecration of idol`s head is conducted on the day of `Sharad Poornima` every year. The temple has provisions for dharamshalas or rest houses for the pilgrims. There are two pilgrimage homes located here, `Shri Digambar Jain Bazar Mandir Dharmashala` and `Shri Digambar Jain Panchayati Bazariya Mandir Dharmashala.` These are well equipped with all kinds of facilities. Separate Jain restaurants and hotels are also available in city.
The temple of Digambar Jain Kshetra is well connected to road, rail and air. Buses and Taxies from Jabalpur and Katni are easily available. The nearest railway station is located about 2 km away from `Devri Station` which is on Sagar -Jabalpur Line. `Vindhyachal Express`, `Riva-Jabalpur Shuttle`, `Jabalpur-Katni Passenger`, `Katni-Bhusaval`, `Itarasi-Illahabad` etc trains are all available. The nearest airport is located at `Jabalpur-Dumna Airport` which is 25 km from here.
