CleanupBot II at 17:34, 13 August 2023

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Aharji
| other_name = Aharji Kshetra
| nickname =
| settlement_type = city
| image_skyline = Aharji Mural at Nainagiri Samosharana.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Aharji Mural at Nainagiri Samosharana
| pushpin_map = India Madhya Pradesh
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Madhya Pradesh, India
| coordinates = {{coord|24.75|N|79.14|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Tikamgarh district|Tikamgarh]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 305
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
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| footnotes =
}}

'''Aharji''' is a historical pilgrimage site for [[Jainism]] in India. It is located in the central Indian state of [[Madhya Pradesh]], on the road from [[Tikamgarh]] to [[Chhatarpur]]. This place is famous for Jain Temple.

==Aharji Jain Teerth==
{{Main|Aharji Jain Teerth}}
Aharji is a place full of natural attractive beauty. It is famous for the miraculous colossus of Lord ([[Shantinath]]) in standing (Khadagasana) posture. It is 18 feet in height.<ref>Kasturchand Jain Suman, Bharatiya Digambar Jain Abhilekh aur Tirth Parichay, Madhya-Pradesh: 13 vi shati tak, Delhi, 2001</ref>

The main temple is famous for beautiful monumental image of Lord Shatinath from the [[Chandella]] period. It has an inscription on it <ref>Y.K. Malaiya, "The Sravakas of Madanasagarpura in the Chandel Period" Anekanta, July-Sept. 1993</ref> of 1180 AD ([[Vikram Samvat]] 1237). It was the last major temple to be built here in the Chandella period. Several other smaller temples were built here at the same time as the main temple.

Excavations have found a large number of Jain images that were installed here during 954 to 1275 AD (Samvat 1011 to Samvat 1332), spanning the reigns of six Chandella rulers. This was a major Jain center during the Chandella period. The inscriptions give the names of 32 separate Jain communities that had built these temples, including [[Golapurva]], [[Parwar (Jain community)|Parwar]], [[Saraogi|Khandelwal]], [[Golalare]], [[Jaiswal Jain|Jaiswal]] etc.<ref>Thakurdas Bhagavandas Javeri, Bharatvarshiya Digambar Jain Directory, 1914</ref>

;Shantinath image inscription
The Shantinath image has a long inscription <ref>Kasturchand Jain Suman, Bharatiya Digambar Jain Abhilekh aur Tirth Parichay, Madhya-Pradesh: 13 vi shati tak, Delhi, 2001, p. 212-219</ref> on it that mentions that two brothers, Jahad and Udaichandra, belonging to the [[Grahapati]] community, built the temple during the rule of Chandella ruler [[Chandella#Parmardidev and Prithviraj Chauhan.27s invasion|Paramardhi]], who is well known as Raja Parmal in the popular ballad [[Alha-Khand]]. They were the descendants of the builders of the Sahasrakuta temple at Banpur. The image was carved by a sculptor name Papat. Trivedi <ref>H.V. Trivedi, "Inscriptions of the Paramaras, Chandellas, Kachchhapaghatas and two minor Dynasties", part 3 of the 3-part Vol II of Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, (published in 1989)</ref> mentions that several Chandella inscriptions mentioning the [[Grahapati]] individuals have been found, and that they were noted for their significance and donations.

==Location==
The place is located in Taluka – Baldeogarh, District – Tikamgarh, [[Madhya Pradesh]], about 25 km from Tikamgarh.<ref>{{cite web | title=शहर से 25 किमी दूर अहारजी में 26 से शुरू होगा तीन दिवसीय आवासीय शिविर, भास्कर | date=21 August 2012 | url=http://www0.bhaskar.com/article/MP-OTH-302486-3674907.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130215145337/http://www0.bhaskar.com/article/MP-OTH-302486-3674907.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=15 February 2013 }}</ref> The management committee is Shri Digamber Jain Siddha Kshetra Aharji Prabandhakarini Samiti, Nearby Cities include [[Tikamgarh]] and [[Chhatarpur]]

==See also==

* [[Alha-Khand]]
* [[Grahapati Kokkala inscription]]
* [[Jain temples of Khajuraho]]
* [[Jainism in Bundelkhand]]
* [[Nainagiri]]
* [[Navagarh]]
* [[Tirtha (Jainism)|Tirtha]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130103075758/http://www.bundelkhanddarshan.com/jain-tirth/mp-jain/tikamgarh/ahar-tikamgarh.html]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100120004955/http://www.jainstirths.com/Jains-Tirths/a-8.htm Shri Aharji Teerth] Shri Aharji Teerth
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050212160830/http://jainteerth.com/teerth/aaharji.asp AAHARJI, M. P.] AAHARJI, M. P.

{{Jain temples}}
{{Jainism Topics}}

[[Category:History of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Tikamgarh]]
[[Category:Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:12th-century Jain temples]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Tikamgarh district]]

Aharji - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 17:34, 13 August 2023