Pilgrim’s Progress

It's cold up here, nine in the morning of a December day. For one who has lived closer to the seashore I'm breathing the fragrant air, eyes closed, alone sitting cross-legged in the company of holy souls who thousand of years back arrived here, entered  Samadhi and left their bodies.  It all seems to have been pre arranged. Otherwise how do you rationalize that 20 of the 24 tirthankars left their bodies here.
Years back I had heard of an exchange of conversation between a seeker and a saint.
On being asked what was meant by a tirtha, the master said: A tirtha or a pilgrimage is like a diving board from where one can jump into the infinite ocean, a highly charged field of consciousness. These places do not happen automatically but are result of the consciousness of powerful individuals.
 Who is considered a tirthankara?
Answered the master: "The Jaina word tirthankara means the creator of such a tirtha, such a place of pilgrimage. A person can be called a tirthankara if he has charged an area in which ordinary people can enter, open themselves up and begin their inner search.  A tirthankara is a greater phenomenon than a divine incarnation, because if the divine enters a human form that is good, but if a man makes place for others to enter the divine, it is a far higher event."
Being on the Sammad Shikhar was an event in my life for which I had been preparing for years. On a December night when I left Mumbai with several others on our way to the holiest of holy place, the Tirtharaj, I considered myself blessed. For like others I too was brought up on the belief that if one did the pilgrimage to Shikharji one was assured to be born as a human. So what, if it was to be 49 lives latter!
We reached Parasnath, a station on the Gaya-Delhi line by train at around 2 in the morning. Having rested for a while we began our ascent four hours later after offering a coconut at the shrine dedicated to Bhumiyaji in a Swetambar temple. It is believed that one who offers prayers at this shrine is unlikely to get lost, and if s/he does a dog appears from nowhere and guides one to Shikharji.
There are two routes to reach Shikharji, one from Neemiaghat and another from Madhuvan. As most pilgrims took the latter route, we too followed them. With people singing  hymn, reciting Namokar Mantra  or  listening to them on mobiles we began, halting every half and hour to catch up with our breath, unaccustomed as we were to the thin air. Most pilgrims prefer to do the pilgrimage to Shikarji post Diwali and preferably in the last week of December: for the summers are unbearably hot beside one has to contend with mosquitoes. While rains brighten up the surroundings it's not advisable to do the pilgrimage then, due to slipperiness of the rocks.
But then people like sexagenarian Pratap Singh Rathore who came and settled at Parasnath town decades back and for the past forty years has been visiting Shikharji every Thursday, come rain, heat and cold. A meat eater turned vegetarian, he tells me that his weekly pilgrimage has changed him. He has become calm, compassionate and overall a "good human being".

Having rested and taking breakfast at Gandharva - Nala, we reach Seeta Nala—a place from where the ascent becomes much steeper. And two and half hours later, having covered 30kms we were at Shikharji. According to Jain scriptures the first Teerthankara (Bhagwan Adinath) attained salvation from Kailash Parvat, 12th Teerthankaras (Bhagwan Vasupujya) from Champapuri, 22nd Teerthankara  (Bhagwan Neminath) from Girnar Parvat, and the last 24th Teerthankara (Bhagwan Mahaveer) from Pavapuri, while the remaining twenty (20) Teerthankaras attained salvation from Sammed Shikhar--place so pious, holy and so charged with spiritual energy that one only needs to plug in, like we do to our laptops in a wi-fi environment. A place so charged with conscious energies that one could easily begin his inner journey. 
If you are a seeker in such places you feel currents flowing from the body towards the soul, where the whole atmosphere is charged. You only require a technique that helps you to drop all resistance and to open your doors and windows from all sides. And its very likely that the positive energy flowing in abundance may change you too.

The total parikrama of the mountain Parasnath begins with yatra in the East direction that covers Navtuk. Beginning from Guru Gautama Swami tuk it includes the tuks of Kunthu, Neminath, Aar, Malli, Shreyans and Suvidhinath. Pilgrims proceed with the darshanas at all these tuks. Finally, the first phase of the pilgrimage ends at the tuk of Munisuvrat Swami. The subsequent trek is slightly difficult as the route passes through the mountains and finally reaches to the tuk of Shree Chandraprabhu.Sammadshikhar, the site of  Nirvana of the 20 Tirthankaras at a height of 4500 feet from the sea level.
The last and the highest tuk is that of Lord Parshwanath and if you're fortunate you may find the temple covered in cloud, also called Meghadambar Toonk. The summit of the temple is visible even from a distance of 30 kms. Here the dusky-green holy foot prints of Lord Parshwanath have been installed.
In the 100 kms radius of Parasnath are innumerable Jain temples and holy places likes Pavapuri and Champapuri, places associated with Bhagwan Mahavir's life which one should not miss: for you don't come to Shikharji everyday. About 200mts ahead of Parasnath Railway Station, lying on Delhi- Kolkata line, is Esari with its huge and magnificent temples decorated with artful spires  constructed within dharamshalas.
Among these three Kothies, Beespanthi Kothi is oldest. This Kothi was established to facilitate the pilgrims coming to Sammed Shikharji about 400 years ago. In this kothi and a Dharamshala one comes across Bhagwan Parshvanath's beautiful idol.
There are three compounds and eight magnificent temples decorated with sky - high artful spires, where Bhagwan Parshvanath, Pushpadanta, Adinath's idol are installed as principal deity with many other beautiful idols.
In front of Kothi, on a hillock, is a magnificent huge temple where a 25 ft high colossus of Bhagwan Bahubali stands. There are 24 temples constructed in all directions with idols of 24 Teerthankaras. In the right and left side of this Bahubali Jinalaya, two magnificent temples of Bhagwan Gautam Swami and Parshvanath's Jinalayas existing along side a 51 ft high Manastambha (Column of dignity).
In the temple of Terapanthi Kothi is a 3ft. high padmasana white idol of principal deity Bhagwan Chandraprabhu in company of  many other beautiful idols. In the back of main shrine is a magnificent red colour idol of Bhagwan Mahaveer in padmasana posture. In the Beespanthi Kothi resides its principal deity the black coloured idol of Bhagwan Parshavanth. In another temple left to this, a man size idol of Muniraj Jaisen exists and near to this temple, foot images are also installed under an umbrella.
With accessibility becoming easier, like other pilgrim sites in the country Sammad Shikhar too has fallen victim to visitors who treat the pilgrimage as going on a picnic or as a weekend vacation. People talking incessantly discussing mundane things, ringing mobile phones and film songs blaring from walkmans is a nuisance every devout is exposed to. But the one learns to live with it.