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 religious building
| name = Aharji Tirtha
| native_name = {{ubl
|{{native name|hi|अहारजी|italics=no}}
|Aharji Siddha Kshetra, Tikamgarh
}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Jainism]]
| image = File:Aharji.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Aharji Tirtha
| map_type =
| map_size = 250
| map_caption = Location within Madhya Pradesh
| coordinates = {{coord|24|44|21.8|N|78|59|26.5|E|region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes =
| location = [[Aharji]], [[Tikamgarh district]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[India]]
| elevation_m =
| elevation_footnotes =
| deity = [[Shantinatha]]
| festivals = [[Mahavir Jayanti]]
| temple_quantity = 8
| governing_body = Shri Digamber Jain Siddha Kshetra Aharji
| established = 10th-12th Century
| website = {{URL|http://www.jainteerth.com/teerth/aaharji.asp}}
}}
{{Jainism}}

'''Aharji Jain Teerth''' is a historical pilgrimage site for [[Jainism]] located in [[Aharji]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], on the road from [[Tikamgarh]] to [[Chhatarpur]].

==Aharji Jain Teerth==
Aharji Jain Teerth is famous for the miraculous 18 feet monolithic idol of Lord ([[Shantinath]]) in [[Kayotsarga]] posture.<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 the beautiful monumental image of Lord Shatinath from the [[Chandella]] period. Aharji was a major Jain centre during the Chandella period. The inscriptions in this temple date back to 1180 CE ([[Vikram Samvat|V.S.]] 1237).<ref>Y.K. Malaiya, "The Sravakas of Madanasagarpura in the Chandel Period" Anekanta, July-Sept. 1993</ref> 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 from 954CE to 1275 CE (VS 1011 to V.S. 1332), spanning the reigns of six Chandella rulers. 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 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]].<ref>Kasturchand Jain Suman, Bharatiya Digambar Jain Abhilekh aur Tirth Parichay, Madhya-Pradesh: 13 vi shati tak, Delhi, 2001, p. 212-219</ref> They were the descendants of the builders of the Sahasrakuta temple at Banpur, [[Lalitpur District, India|Lalitpur]]. The image was carved by a sculptor named 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.

{{quote box|width=50%|style=margin-left:0%|align=center
| quote = ओं नमो वीतरागाय॥ [[Gahoi|ग्रहपति]]वंषसरोरुहसहस्त्ररष्मिः सहस्त्रकूटैर्यः। वाणसुरे व्यधितासीत् श्रीमानिह देवपाल इति॥ 1॥ श्री रत्नपाल इति तत्तनयो वरेण्यः पुण्यैकमूर्तिरभवद्वसुहाटिकायां। कीर्तिर्जगत्रय परिभ्रमणश्रमात्र्ता यस्य स्थिराजनि जिनायतनच्छले न॥ 2॥
एकस्तावदनूनबुद्धिनिधिना श्री शांतिचैत्याल। यो दिष्टयानंदपुरे परः परतरानंदप्रदः श्रीमता। येन श्रीमदनेषसागरपुरे तज्जन्मनो निम्र्मिमे॥ सोअयं श्रेष्ठिवरिश्ठगल्हण ईति श्रीरल्हणाख्याद। भूत्॥ 3॥ तस्मादजायत कुलाम्बरपूर्णचंद्रः श्रीजाहडस्तदनुजोयद चन्द्रनामा॥ एकः परापकृतिहेतुकृतावतारो धम्र्मात्मकः पुनरमो घसुदानसारः॥ 4॥ ताभ्यामषेषदुरितौघषमैकहेतुं निर्मापितं भुवनभूशणभूतमेतद्॥ श्रीषांतिचैत्यमतिनित्यसुखप्रदा तृ मुक्तिश्रियो वदनवीक्षणलोलुपाभ्याम्॥ 5॥ संवत् 1237 मार्ग सुदी 3 शुक्रे श्रीमत्परमर्द्धिदेवविजयराज्ये। चंद्रभास्करसमुद्रतारका यावदत्र जनचित्तहारकः॥ धम्र्मकारिकृतषुद्धकीर्तनं तावदेव जयतात् सुकीत्र्तनम्॥ 6॥ वाल्हणस्य सुतः श्रीमान् रुपकारो महामतिः॥ पापटो वास्तुषास्त्रज्ञस्तेन बिम्ब सुनिर्मितम्॥ 7॥
| source = An Aharji [[Inscription]] 12th century CE<ref>Kasturchand Jain Suman, Bharatiya Digambar Jain Abhilekh aur Tirth Parichay, Madhya-Pradesh: 13 vi shati tak, Delhi, 2001, p. 212-219</ref>
}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:18 ft tall idol of Lord Shantinath at ahaar ji near Tikamgarh(1180 ad).jpg|The {{convert|18|ft|m}} Idol of [[Shantinatha]]
File:Aharji Mural at Nainagiri Samosharana.jpg|Aharji Mural at [[Nainagiri]]
</gallery>

==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 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</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]]
* [[Tirtha (Jainism)|Tirtha]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==

{{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 Jain Teerth - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 17:34, 13 August 2023