Pawapuri, the land of enlightenment of the 24th Tirthankar of Jains Lord Mahavir. It’s a beautiful place nestled in the quaint historical district of Nalanda (another important placeholder in the Indian History) in the State of Bihar, in India. Pawapuri is of special importance to Jains as this is the place where Lord Mahavir attained Enlightenment (Moksh). It is famous for its Jal Mandir (a temple amidst a pond).
The legend is when the Lord Mahavir attained enlightenment, all the devotees were so overwhelmed, that they started taking the soil from around the place where he attained enlightenment. So much so, that after a while the area around that place had a deep and large oval hole and water creeped in.
Jal Mandir is full of tranquility. It’s a sight to behold with the temple in the middle of the pond and the pond filled with lotus flowers and thousands of fish.
You will find some vendors at the entrance of the temple selling traditional offerings and souvenirs.
There is a Dharamshala (sort of a Motel) just opposite to the temple where in travelers can stay for free. Donations are of course welcome to support the ongoing activities.
You can reach Pawapuri by road from the capital city of Bihar, Patna. If you are traveling from outside of Bihar then the quickest mode is to land at the Patna airport and take a cab to Pawapuri. It takes 2 hours to reach Pawapuri from Patna.
Many public transportations (trains and buses) are available. Using your own private transportation is advised.
While you are visiting Pawapuri , you can also add to your itinerary lovely adjoining places of historical importance like Nalanda, Bodh Gaya and Bihar Sharif. These places are full of historical monuments and are a testimony of rich cultural history of ancient India.
