Shri Samet Shikar Tirth

Shikharji (?ikharj?), Giridih district, Jharkhand, India, is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand.[1] It is the important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) for the Jains, believed to be the place where twenty of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras along with many other monks attained Moksha, according to Nirvana Kanda and other texts.[2] Its distance to cover is 44 kms by walk and takes approximately to climb up and down the hill. If a short route is taken it takes approximately 12 hours to complete.Shikharji means the "venerable peak". The site is also called Sammed ?ikhar or Sammet Shikhar "peak of concentration." because it is a place where twenty of twenty-four Tirthankaras attained Moksha through meditation.[3] The word "Parasnath" is derived from Parshwanatha, the twenty-third Jain tirthankara, who was one of those who is believed to have attained Moksha at the site.History - The earliest reference to Shikharji as a tirth (place of pilgrimage) is found in the Jñ?t?dh?rmak?tha, one of the twelve core texts of Jainism. Shikharji is also mentioned in the P?r?van?thacarita, a twelfth century biography of P?r?va.The popularity of Shikharji as a site of pilgrimage followed that of Vulture Peak, Bihar, where it is believed the Buddhist Sariputta attained enlightenment.Jharkhand acquired Shikharji under the Bihar Land Reforms Act, leaving the rights of Jains in doubt. Use of Shikharji as a tourist destination also impacts on the religious beliefs of the jain.