Parswanath- Also known as Shikharji, Sammed Shikhar

 Destination Parswanath  

Parashanath Pahar, 4480 feet above sea level, is the highest mountain in Chotanagpur Malvumi- Jharkhand state and one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Jains. Of the 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism, 23 (20 in Dvim) attained nirvana on this mountain. The 23rd Tirthankara was Parswanath Swami. After him the name of this hill is Parshanath Pahar. Also known as Shikharji, Sammed Shikhar. This hill is worshiped as Marang Buru by Santal community. This mountain tour starts from Madhuban, a small town down the hill. Madhuban is the gateway to this hill.  

Let's see what you need to know when visiting Pareshnath ------  

Location:- Madhuban is 24 km from Parshanath station in Jharkhand and 74 km from Dhanbad city. 

 Travel:- There are many trains from Howrah, Sealdah and Kolkata stations to Parasnath station. Madhuban can be reached by a shared car (Taka 70 per head) or reserve car (Taka 500) from the station. 

 Accommodation :- There are many Jain Dharamshalas for staying in Madhuban apart from two to four hotels. Room rent is roughly between 500 taka to 3000 taka. You will get all types of AC and non-AC rooms. 

Food:- Food is provided in Dharamshala. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. No food after 6 PM in Jain Dharamshala. (Jains do not eat after sunset). So if you want to eat at night, you have to eat outside the hotel.  

Now the main thing i.e. hill circumambulation trek :- 

  Starting from Madhuban, walking around the hills and returning to Madhuban, the total distance is 27 km. Starting the journey from Madhuban, one will first read Kalikund, Gandharva Nala and then Shitalanala (5km). From this Shitalanala the road splits into two - one towards Parshnath Swami Tonk.

 Only those who visit Parshnath Swami Tonk will take this road. The road is quite steep. Those who do the whole Parikrama will take the straight road from Shitalanala. Reach Gautam Swami Tonk, 9 km from Madhuban. This is the middle point of the hill circuit. There are 30 tonk/or samadhi temples all over the hill. These tonks are invincible. 

Each tonk has stone-carved footprints of various Tirthankaras. And there is a temple- named Jalmandir. Only here there are idols. Gautam Swami Tonk has 19 tonks to the east and 11 tonks to the west. Jal Mandir is 1 km south of Gautam Swami. 

 From Chandraprabhu Swami Tonk in the east to Parshanath Swami Tonk in the west--the road is about 9km to visit these 30 tonks and water temples. This road is uphill and downhill.  

After visiting all the tonks, one has to reach at the very end the 23rd Tirthankar Parshnath Swami Tonk, one of the attractions located at the highest point of the hill. Uttarai Road from Parshnath Swami Tonk to Madhuban is 9 km.  

It will take about 12-14 hours to complete this 30km road through mixed nature hilly forest (not in a hurry, slowly, healthy, with food and drink, rest). 

If you start walking at 3/4 in the morning, you can reach Madhuban by 7 in the evening.  

1) There are sometimes food stalls on the road. Sometimes you can see Hanuman, a group of monkeys having family with the trees. 

 2) Overnight accommodation on the hill is one. Beside Gautam Swami Tonka. If one wants to spend the night on the hill, permission must be obtained from the Jain Shetambar Society at Madhuban. You can stay only if that permission is shown above.

  3) If one does not want to walk, one can book a doli/bike from Madhuban. If you go by bike, Parshanath Swami will drop you near Parswanath Tonk. Now you have to walk the rest of the circuit.  

Dolly of two types:- Plane Dolly (2500 Taka) and Kursi Dolly (4500 Taka). Can bargain. This Parshanath hill is very sacred and beautiful to both pilgrims and travelers.