Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
12 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
16 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
23 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All India Gheti Shatrunjaya Hill

Shatrunjaya Hill

A mecca for India's Jains.

Gheti, India

Added By
Alicia
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://blog.jetpac.com/post/18138810190/india
  http://blog.jetpac.com/post/18138810190/india
  Nevil Zaveri
  Arian Zwegers
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

As typified by Muslims' pilgrimages to Mecca or Jews' to Jerusalem, most religions have epic places to where devotees can travel to better secure their places in heaven. The pilgrimage site for Jains, an Indian religious group, is particularly epic: a hugely complex series of more than 1,000 temples which pilgrims can reach only by climbing up nearly 4,000 steps.

Jainism is a relatively small religion, with only a little over 4 million believers in India and small pockets of followers throughout the rest of the world. The Jains' primary belief is non-violence; they believe that people, animals and even plants have souls and should be treated equally and well. Although they have no gods or spiritual figures, they do live with the principle of reincarnation in mind, hoping to eventually be liberated from the cycle of life and rebirth in an eternal transcedence.

The Shatrunjaya Hill site is huge and pilgrimage rites are difficult for such an ascetic religion. The hill's 3,950 steps often take three hours to climb, with the elderly often hiring a dholi, a seat attached to a pole carried by strong men, to the top. It is the goal of devout Jains to climb the mountain 99 times in their lifetimes. Once at the top, devotees are expected to pay homage at each of the complex's many tuks, similar to temples. In worship, Jains sweep the grounds with brooms and remove their shoes so they don't kill anything before sitting down. Then, white-robed pilgrims, monks and nuns chant sacred texts surrounded by Tirthankaras, similar to unclothed Buddha statues.

In their building, the temples followed the Jainist principle of non-violence. None of the temples were built with ivory or clay because it contains micro-organisms and insects. Instead, all of the temples – the oldest of which dates back to the 11th century – are made of marble, bronze or stone.

Related Tags

Cultures And Civilizations Rites And Rituals Architectural Oddities Sacred Spaces Architecture

Know Before You Go

215 kilomters from Ahmedabad and 51 kilometers from Bhavnagar

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Delhi and Rajasthan: Colors of India

Discover Colorful Rajasthan: From Delhi to Jaipur and Beyond.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Alicia Bones

Edited By

Martin, SamM

  • Martin
  • SamM

Published

July 24, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Shatrunjaya Hill
Shatrunjaya Hill
Gheti, 364270
India
21.483038, 71.794689
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Mahabat Maqbara

Junagadh, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of India

India

Asia

Places 338
Stories 107

Nearby Places

Mahabat Maqbara

Junagadh, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of India

India

Asia

Places 338
Stories 107

Related Places

  • A fisherman rejoices with his catch. (mattemondo/Flickr)

    Koro, Mali

    Antogo Fishing Frenzy

    Annual rush for a sacred desert lake's fish stock.

  • A house in the Tongo Hills. (Creative Commons)

    Bolgatanga, Ghana

    Tengzug Shrine

    Topless shrine of northern Ghana.

  • St Paul’s Catacombs

    Rabat, Malta

    Maltese Catacomb Complexes

    Burial grounds for more than 1,000 bodies deep under the modern town of Rabat.

  • Moundsville, West Virginia

    New Vrindaban Palace of Gold

    Despite its lavish ornamentation, and wholesome lifestyle of its devotees, this mountain commune has faced its share of issues.

  • For more than 30 years, the former town of Potosi resided underwater after it was flooded by the building of a dam

    Uribante, Venezuela

    The Drowned Church of Potosi

    A town church once nearly submerged by the damming of a river is now hauntingly visible as the water recedes.

  • BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Sanstha Mandir.

    Bartlett, Illinois

    BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Sanstha Mandir Chicago

    This elaborate Hindu temple is located in a Chicago suburb, but looks like it was transported directly from India.

  • Hanging Temple

    Datong, China

    Hanging Temple of Hengshan

    A fifth-century temple improbably built into the side of a cliff.

  • Ploutonion at Hierapolis.

    Denizli Merkez, Turkey

    Pluto's Gate

    A deadly ancient portal to the underworld.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.