Pawapuri/ Jal Mandir

Travel for 101 kilometers from Patna, to reach the holy place Pawapuri, or Apapuri. The place is of great religious importance for Jains. It is said that Lord Mahavira, the last Jain Tirthankara, took his last breath here. The place has witnessed his cremation here around 500 B.C. People say that a large number of devotees took his ashes from the soil around the funeral pyre, creating the water tank. Later, the “Jalmandir” was constructed at the middle of this water tank. The temple is built all of the marble and is truly a divine place. The temple sees its place in the middle of the tank filled with red-colored lotus flowers. It is believed that the temple was constructed by King Nandivardhan, who was Mahavira’s elder brother.  This holy temple is famed to be the one among the five main temples in Pawpuri, where the “Charan Paduka” or foot impression of Mahavira is deified. Shaped in a form of Vimana, connected to the banks by a 600 feet long bridge, the temple is a piece of architectural beauty in itself. Jainis look to this place with great devotion and respect. Another place called Samosharan is located here.