Dr. Navin C. Shah
After my pilgrimage to ancient Jain shrines in Gujarat and Rajasthan in 2010 an unusual calmness entered my temperament. It also made me aware of the final destination of the present life - is it death and nothing beyond or rebirth based on the karmas collected over multiple past lives! Thoughts of the final destination of the present sojourn stimulated me to undertake another exploratory pilgrimage. In November 2011, I toured the Bihar and Jharkhand area where most prestigious and sacrosanct Jain shrines are located. In the era prior to 2,000 years ago, this region was known as Magadha and it was one of the richest and most religious kingdoms amongst many in the entire Indian subcontinent.
After being in New Delhi for all the official meetings for my health projects to augment medical education and health care in India, I proceeded to the newly built impressive and massive airport. The airport has a well organized, spacious, and tourist friendly layout. In spite of the modern structure, the service, overcrowding and chaos at the gates remains intact and so also the system of transporting travelers by packed buses to the waiting aircraft. After a short flight of 90 minutes, I reached Patna.
Bihar is the birth place and site of Nirvana of two of the most renowned religious leaders who lived in the Fifth and Sixth century B.C. They were Mahavir and Buddha. Both of these enlightened masters concurrently preached and meditated in the same region of Bihar - the Rajgir and Nalanda area - for many years. Mahavir taught the ancient Jainism which had been followed by Parshvanath some 250 years earlier. Jainism has a history of millions of years when the first Tirthankara (God) Adinath, initiated the preaching and practice of the Jain religion. Mahavir was the last of the twenty-four Tirthankaras of Jainism. Buddha initiated his "Dharma" for the first time, which, after his death, was known as "Buddhism". Buddha taught Four Truths: presence of sufferings in life, causes of sufferings, cure of sufferings and a way to cease sufferings. Though many of the principles, philosophies and practices of Jainism and Buddhism have a lot of similarities, yet both these religions are distinct entities. The Karma theory of Jainism describes a cycle of birth, death and rebirth based on the Karmas(Actions) of the past lives, while Buddhism denies the influence of past deeds upon future destinies as the deeds were past and hence non-existent. Both religions put a stress on non-violence, kindness and compassion to all living beings (including all zoological and botanical species), service to humanity, control of desires, respect and reverence for different points of view, toleration with a philosophy of 'live and let live' and truthful interactions. Both religions emphasize that right perception, right knowledge, right behavior and detachment from love, hate, and worldly possessions are needed to attain ultimate liberation - Nirvana. Nirvana frees one's soul from the birth, death and rebirth cycle and its sufferings. During the time of Mahavir and Buddha, world renowned philosophers like Plato (in Greece) and Confucius (in China) also taught and delivered the message of spirituality in life.
Patna is a large and densely populated city with congested roads and circles causing snail pace traffic. Patna, in the Fifth and Sixth centuries B.C. was a crown jewel amongst major cities of India and was known as Pataliputra. In the Fifth and Seventh centuries A.D. the Chinese travelers, Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang, detailed Pataliputra&rsquos glory, affluences and its world renowned centers for education, and business. In 388 B.C., Pataliputra was constructed by King Udayan, a grandson of a Jain king, Shrenik. From Patna I took a taxi to Rajgir. This ride on the national highway covering some 90 kilometers took three hours. The road has only two lanes, so only one vehicle can travel in one direction. As the road is narrow and poorly kept at some places, it has only one available lane to travel. On both sides of the road, there were many stranded and stationary vehicles, bullock carts, three wheelers, autos, animals, horse buggies and lots of people. On the road side there were many mounds of rotting garbage, stagnated dirty water cesspools, and huts where families dwelled. Poverty and unhygienic conditions were plentiful in this area. In many places, the road was just an extensive pothole filled with piles of stones. These conditions worried me about the safety of the vehicles and its occupants. There is negligible infrastructure to promptly and properly treat emergency patients on this highway. Recently, few people died and many were seriously injured in an accident. Fortunately, the drivers on the road have a remarkable driving precision and judgment. Vehicles, including large heavy cargo trucks, were moving within a few inches of distance from other vehicles.
In Rajgir, I was received at Veerayatan, a large Jain institution on 60 acres of land with 90 room living facilities, museum, temple, hospital, outpatient clinic, and well kept green grounds, administered by the Sadhvis (nuns) who efficiently manage the property and the center’s activities. Rajgir, in the Fifth and Sixth centuries B.C., was the capital of Magadha Kingdom and was known as Rajagriha (Royal Palace). The huge capital city had 32 large and 64 small gates and was situated in a valley of five hills. Veerayatan, led by Acharya Shri Chandan ji and with the assistance of her following of other Sadhvi jis, has translated Mahavir’s preachings into action and practice by serving millions of poor people of the region. The center provides medical help at no cost or at minimal cost for the last 40 years. The eye department, with seven ophthalmologists on staff, has carried out some quarter million eye surgeries. In addition to health activities, the institution provides for Jain education, spiritual development, and modern education to poor students of Bihar by constructing and operating schools and colleges.
In Rajgir, I visited an ancient Jain temple where 20th Tirthankara Munisuvrath attained enlightenment at that location. Nearby is a Buddhist temple on the top of the hill with cable car access provided by the Japanese Buddhist society. As per the Chinese traveler’s notes, Rajgir was a prosperous and religious city with half of the population following Jainism and the other half Buddhism. Today, I am told, there is not a single Jain or Buddhist household living in the area. Annually, thousands of Jains and Buddhists travel to this area from all over the world for pilgrimage. Mahavir was born in the nearby town of Kundalpur. Mahavir spent 14 monsoon seasons in Rajgir. Overtime, he headed 14,000 priests, 36,000 nuns and some 459,000 lay followers. Buddha also taught and meditated in this area and had a large following. Presently, Rajgir is a small congested city with negligible facilities for pilgrims and tourists. I was lucky, as Sadhvi Shubham ji of Veerayatan accompanied me in my travels in the region. She taught me a lot about local history, geography, Jainism and Buddhism. She, for decades, studied the Jain scriptures, has preached and traveled around the world spreading the teachings of Mahavir and continues humanitarian work for downtrodden folks at Veerayatan’s health facilities. Her calm, rational, and eloquent answers to my multiple queries about Jainism and Buddhism helped me in understanding the preachings and practices of these religious teachers and its relevance in the present day life style. Shubhamji expressed that the human endeavors play a small role in controlling and guiding the mind, body, and destiny. Her pragmatic advice is, as the past is done with, as the future is unknown, enjoy the present and make it productive for self and others without any attachment or expectations. On the way back to Veerayatan, I saw and visited a Mela (village fair). Large numbers of people, in their colorful garments, arrived by overcrowded trains, buses, three wheelers and horse buggies. The trains, buses and jeeps had passengers all over - inside, outside, and on the roof. There were no safety precautions!
The next day we traveled by car to Nalanda, some 15 kilometers from Rajgir. It is here that Buddha had a monastery where he meditated and had preached for years. After his death, educational and monastery activities continued. In the Third century B.C., Ashoka, the Great Emperor and a Buddha devotee, built a Stupa (Temple) for education and worship. In the Fifth century A.D., the Gupta King established a world renown University where students from all over the world learned about Buddhism, grammar, logic, medicine, and Vedas. Many of the Buddhist monks lived in Monasteries around the University where they learned Buddhism and practiced the religion. As per Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang, Chinese travelers and students, the University had 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers at that time. The University had multiple buildings, including a large one with nine floors. There were additions in the buildings in the Seventh and Ninth centuries A.D. Admission in the University was very difficult; only about 10% of the applicants were selected. In the Eleventh century A.D. Muslim invader Mohammed Bakhtiar Khilaji burnt the entire University. Some of the teachers, students, and monks died while most of them fled the area. It took about six months for the fire to burn out. All the libraries and many buildings were gutted. Today one can glance at some of the remnants of the great University. In the early Nineteenth century, the Archeology department of India excavated the present site and now it is open to the public. At Nalanda, Mahavir spent three monsoons preaching Jainism and in meditation.
Later, we traveled by car to Pavapuri (35 kilometers from Rajgir) where Mahavir delivered his first and later his last sermon. Mahavir breathed his last while delivering the sermon, which lasted for 24 hours. Mahavir, a prince by birth, lived a royal palace life for 30 years, spent 12 years in the forest and mountains in meditation and performing penance. He attained enlightenment at the age of 42 years on the bank of the Rijubalika River. The next 30 years he traveled on foot all over India, including Sindh, Kandhar, and Taxila to preach Jainism. He attained Nirvana at the age of 72 years. (Mahavir had 26 previous lives.) Mahavir left his physical body on a dark moonless night. People celebrated his Nirvana by lighting lamps creating illumination in the dark night. Since then, Diwali, a festival of lights, started. His last rites were performed at Pavapuri. After the cremation, his followers collected the ashes for worship. Later, as all the ashes were taken, people dug the soil at the site and collected it for worship. Thus, a large pit was created which later on filled with rain water and became a lake. As per the history, the Devs and Devies (celestial divine souls) planted lotus flowers in the lake. Today the lake has lotus flowers and has a Mahavir temple for pilgrims to pray.
After a night’s rest at Veerayatan and enjoying a freshly made hot breakfast, we left for Sametshikhar (also known as Shikharji and Mount Parshvanath) located in Jharkhand state. The five hour slow and bumpy car ride included 26 miles of ghat (mountain roads). Shikharji is located at Madhuban, a small, crowded, and congested town with dharamsalas (Inns), temples and shops all over. The roads are small and narrow. Its traffic is a nightmare with large tourist buses, cars, bullock carts, horse buggies and people carrying “Dolly” (two or four persons carrying a pilgrim in a chair to the top of the mountain for prayers). When we reached Shikharji, there were many pilgrims including, one ‘Sangh’ (a group of pilgrims sponsored by a wealthy person providing free travel and food for all invitees) of 960 persons arrived by a special train from Mumbai and another from Jaipur with 263 persons.
We stayed at a hotel with air conditioned rooms. Unfortunately, during our stay, there was an outage of electricity and the generator kept only the lights on at night. The next morning at 3 A.M., since hot water was not available, I took a quick cold water bath and reached the base temple of “Bhomiyaji” for prayers for a successful trip. On these mountains, 20 out of 24 Tirthankars were cremated. This is the most auspicious and pious place of pilgrimage for Jains. The mountain climb is steep and long - 9 kilometers. On top of the mountain, there are 24 shrines which are winding up and down in the mountains covering 9 kilometers and another 9 kilometers of descending, a total journey of 27 kilometers (about 18 miles).The top is at 4479 feet above sea level.
I started the climb at 4:30 A.M. The climb in the dark of night was with the help of a flashlight. Most of the climbers carried long canes for a support. I did not like to have a stick. There were over one hundred climbers at that time. Some had already preceded us. It is easy to climb in the cold as, once the sun rises, it becomes hot and difficult to climb. Some of the persons, mostly elderly and obese, preferred “Dolly”- being carried by two or four men. After the first mile, I felt tired, but kept on. Around 6 A.M., when the sun rise showed a clearer climb, I was stunned to notice the very steep climb ahead. Slowly and steadily I struggled. At half point, I just stood for about five minutes and had sips of bottled water. I was told not to sit and rest as resuming the climb would be difficult. The “Dolly” carriers begged me to sit in the chair and be carried up. They were begging for me to sit so they can earn money and the families can be fed. Most of the pilgrims only visit six months out of the year as it is difficult to climb during summer and monsoon seasons. There is extreme poverty in the area and the “Dolly” carriers’ livelihoods depend on the pilgrims. The usual price per entire trip is fifty dollars. It takes them about a total of 12 hours journey. It is a very strenuous physical task to carry people on such a steep and curvaceous climb. They are paid a dollar per hour for this tough journey. I felt bad and had tears when I saw four thin malnourished men, with large varicose veins in their legs, carrying a 250 pound lady in a chair who was happily conversing on a cell phone. On the way up, there are multiple stalls selling all kinds of foods, fruits, and drinks. I prayed and climbed slowly and steadily. I was sweating and was tired. At last, after two hours and thirty minutes, I reached the top. As per the history in the First century A.D., Acharya Padaliptasuriji used to visit the mountains to pray at the site of cremations of Tirthankaras. He had yogic powers and it is said he could fly from the base to the top of the Shikharji. During the Ninth century A.D., a path was created for the pilgrims, and temples on the top of the mountain were restored. During Mogul Emperor Akbar’s rule, the holy site was presented to Jain high priest Acharya Hirvijaysurji. In the Eighteenth century, Jagat Sheth, while restoring the temple of the Shikharji, dreamt of 20 sites of 20 Tirthankaras’ cremations. On each of those sites, an appropriate shrine containing the foot prints of that Tirthankar was established.
Shubhamji guided me and provided all the needed details about the twenty shrines where I prayed. After the prayers in the main temple of Jal Mandir, we sat and had some food and water. The climb was exhausting but, on the top of the mountain the atmosphere was serene and infused me with a feeling of calmness and happiness. It was spiritual and a gratifying experience. Once again, this occurrence made me think deeply about the life, living practices and its final destination. I felt extremely fortunate to be standing on the sacred soil where twenty enlightened Jain masters attained their Nirvana. With this unique sense of fulfillment I walked towards the base. On the top, there are scanty and dirty facilities for bathing, toilet and eating. People were eating everywhere and left-over food with paper and plastic bags, water bottles, and all the trash was all around this holy site. I was sad to witness such a state of affairs where there are no organized and hygienic facilities for the pilgrims. Jains are one of the richest communities in India. They could do better for such an auspicious site. Also, during the climb, there are no restroom facilities. I wish the authorities managing these shrines charged fees for the journey to provide full facilities to make a comfortable and clean experience for the pilgrims. I descended by crisscrossing so as to dampen the speed. The heat made the descent difficult. Profuse sweating and thirst made me drink almost two bottles of water. The joy of descent increased as the distance to the base decreased. Finally, at 2:30 P.M., I reached the base. Almost 10 hours of arduous journey! Shubhamji accompanied me to ‘Bhomiyaji’ temple for prayers for a successful journey. I prayed with tremendous gratitude.
Back to the hotel by 4 P.M. This time I was lucky to have a hot water bath which almost rejuvenated me. Another five hours journey took us back to Rajgir. I once again enjoyed a full night’s sleep in an air conditioned room at Veerayatan. During the entire stay and travel the communication was very efficient as almost all involved (drivers, servants, and others) had personal cell phones.
The next day I met with Acharya Chandanaji for discussion on Jainism and also her opinion on the Jain shrines and its pilgrimage. Chandanaji, a scholar and an authority on Jainism, made it very simple for me to understand the meaning of the present life and its destination. Her 40 years of service for the poor people in all aspects - social, educational, medical, and spiritual - reminded me of Mother Teresa. In spite of meritorious achievements and superb expertise on Jainism, she was very humble and pragmatic. Her message, simply put, is work as dharma (sacred duty), live and work happily and help those in need with love and respect, without any expectations and rewards. She felt that physical and mental work and meditation are needed for all, including priests and nuns, to live a holy life. Her enthusiasm to modernize the present hospital, especially the eye department impressed me a lot. I met with seven staff ophthalmologists to discuss their needs to upgrade the services. They decided they would like to have some prominent U.S. ophthalmologists visit Veerayatan for a short period of time so as to augment the expertise, facilities, and services. I assured them of my endeavors in locating interested U.S. ophthalmologists. I humbly contributed some funds for the eye department.
After the doctors’ meeting, it was time to go back to Patna to catch a flight to New Delhi and then back home to Washington, D.C. It was the fastest and most valuable five days of my life. I gained knowledge of Jainism and Buddhism from both Chandanaji and Shubhamji. It was overwhelming and will require some time to comprehend it. With gratitude to all on the staff, I bid a loving farewell to Veerayatan.
In my trips to Italy, Greece, and Turkey, to see ancient sites, I was satisfied and rather happy with the facilities available to tourists. These countries have created and maintained good roads, hotels, clean toilets, a hygienic environment, fresh food, and other attractive amenities for tourists. These facilities create avenues of good income from the satisfied tourists. I wish and hope that the Government of India, State Governments of Bihar and Jharkhand and the leaders of the Jain community replicate the tourist facilities provided in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. It will be a great traveling, staying, educational, and spiritual experience for all pilgrims especially for Jains and Buddhists, to have proper facilities available on payment in this sacred land of Mahavir and Buddha.
P.S.: All the information is derived from local guides and locally available literature.