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Adinath Bawangaja
The Statue of Bhagwan Adinath located at Bawangaja of Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh state, India is huge and magnificent with a height of 84 feet high. It is the main diety of Chulgiri Siddha Kshetra.
This Khadkason idol is made by brown stone cutting rock of one single mountain and it stands from the base of mountain as it is with the idol of ‘Gomateshwara Bahubali’ of Shravanabelagola. But here the Statue is supported by the mountain in Satpura ranges.
In earlier days, ascetics and religious preceptors had chosen Satpura mountain range for their ascetic practices including observation of penance. The land of Bawangaja had been a popular place for these sacred activities observed by great religious dignitaries. One can see the idol of Tirthankara Rishabh Dev, the founder of Jainism carved in this mountain at a height of 4000.6 ft (1219.4 m) which is considered highest in the world and richest in its art work. This idol is so captivating that an onlooker experiences a natural feeling of detachment, serenity and total peace.
People make it a point to celebrate festivals of Diwali, Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushana and Samvatsari every year in an impressive manner following the prescribed rituals.
Origin
Siddha Kshetra Chulgiri is located at the base of the Satpura mountain range. It is in the highest peak of the mountain range and the presence of the huge idol of Gurudev makes this Teerth Kshetra exquisite. This Chulgiri Kshetra is very ancient existing for about 2000 or more years before. The main shrine at this Kshetra had been built in 12th century. There are about 10 temples in the nearby locations which were all constructed in 15th century and this was done by the percept of Bhattarak Ratnakirti. One of the inscriptions here denotes that the main temple had been constructed in Samvat 1223.
Structure
As one looks into the structure of Bhagwan Adinath’s idol, the hands are not joined with legs but are carved in such a manner that they are separately held. It is seen that the structural art and style of the idol is unique and it is made in perfect proportion. All parts of the body in the idol are positioned symmetrically. One can recognise a balanced image conveying all emotions like joy, mercy and detachment on the facial expression brought in this idol.
Bawangaja Bhagwan Adinath has on his left side the 4 armed ‘Gomukh Yaksha’ and the 16 armed ‘Yakshi Chakreshvary’ stands on the right side. To have a complete view of the idol, one has to stand at a distance to see the idol from top to toe.
How to Reach
Bawangaja is at 8 km road distance from Badwani and 160 km from Indore. One can go to this place from Khandwa (188 km) or from Baroda (270 km).
Plenty of buses are available to reach Bawangaja from Badwani District and to go by train, the nearest railway Station is at Indore. Likewise, the nearest airport also is that of Indore.
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