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Pawapuri in the state of Bihar is a holy site for Jains, located 38 kilometers from Rajgir in Nalanda district and 90 kilometers from Patna, the capital of Bihar.
Around 500 BC, Lord Mahavira, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras breathed his last here. This is the place where Lord Mahavira achieved Moksha or Nirvana (Salvation from the endless cycle of life and death). He was cremated at Pawapuri, also known as Apapuri ("the sinless town"). There was a great rush to collect his ashes, with the result that so much soil was removed from the place of his cremation that a pond was created.
Having attained omniscience (Kevala- nana) on the bank of Rju-kula and after preaching the principle of Jainism through his divine voice (divya-dhvani), Lord Mahavira toured over different areas of the country and propounded the religious doctrines. Afterwards he reached Pavapuri and seated himself on a clan or pure slab of stone in a park studded with many ponds. He did not move out for two days; and plunged in pure meditation (sukla- dhyana). He quitted the mortal coil and became a Siddha in the last quarter of the night of the 14th day of the black half of the month of Kartika.
There are five main temples in Pawapuri - the Jal Mandir, the Gaon Mandir, the Samosaran, the New Samosaran and another temple built by Bibi Mehetab Kumari. Apart from these temples there is a Digambar Jain Mandir near Jal mandir.
The Gaon mandir or the village temple marks the spot where Lord Mahavira breathed his last. It is said that this temple was built by King Nandivardhan, elder brother of Lord Mahavira.
Jal mandir is a temple in the middle of a lake blooming with lotuses. The main deity of the beautiful temple is a very old "Charan Paduka" of Lord Mahavira. It marks the spot where the mortal remains of Lord Mahavira was cremated. It is believed that this temple was built by King Nandivardhan, elder brother of Lord Mahavira. Jal Mandir is built in the shape of "Vimana" and there is a stone bridge about 600 feet in length across it from the bank to the temple.
Lord Mahavira attained nirvana in a park, near Pavapuri, round about which there were many pounds or lakes. At present the site of the nirvana of Mahavira is accepted near Bihar-Sherif where a magnificent Jaina temple stands in the centre of a big lake. This is accepted as the tirtha-ksetra on all hands. Both the sects, Digambra and Svetambra, have voluntarily accepted this place as the spot of the nirvana of Mahavira. A marble temple, the Jalmandir, was later built in the middle of the tank, where Lord. Mahavira attained salvation. Another beautiful Jain temple of white marble called Samosharan is located at this place. Bhagwawan Mahavira had delivered his sermon here. The best time time to visit Pawapuri is between October and March.
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