Jain Pilgrimage
🚗 2 hrs by car · ₹2,200–2,800 taxi from Glamour Palace
Pawapuri
Sacred Jain site — where Mahavira attained Nirvana
Pawapuri (also called Apapuri — the sinless city) is one of the most sacred sites in Jainism. It is the place where Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara and founder of modern Jainism, attained Nirvana (liberation) in 527 BCE. The Jalmandir — a beautiful white marble temple rising from the centre of a lotus-covered lake — is one of the most serene religious monuments in Bihar.
Mahavira was born in Vaishali (115 km away) and attained Nirvana in Pawapuri at the age of 72 in 527 BCE. After his Nirvana, so many people came to collect the sacred soil from the site that a large lake formed — this lake is now covered with lotus flowers and hosts the Jalmandir (water temple). The temple was built by the brother of the last Magadha king. The white marble Jalmandir is connected to the shore by a long causeway and is one of the most photographed Jain temples in India. A second temple, Samosharan, marks the spot where Mahavira delivered his last sermon. Pawapuri attracts millions of Jain pilgrims annually and is also visited by non-Jain tourists drawn by the beauty of the site.