Siddhachalam

Siddhachalam^® is a Jain ashram and spiritual refuge spread over 120 acres of hilly terrain in idyllic rural northwestern NJ on exit 12 of Route 80.

It was founded in 1983 by Acharya Sushil Kumarji, a renowned Jain monk. In 1975, Guruji — as he is lovingly called — took the unprecedented step of traveling outside India to promote the message of Bhagwaan Mahavira. He believed that Mahavira’s message was the foundation of religion for the entire world.

Siddhachalam was meant to be a monastery when formed. It is an atishaya kshetra, a place suffused with many stories of miracles, and is regarded as the first place of Jain pilgrimage outside India. Guruji perfected here his mastery over the secret science of sound behind the Namokar Mantra. It was also here that he practiced and taught Arhum Yoga. Siddhachalam today attracts all who believe in the message of ahimsa and anekantavada. Many love to walk the 3 miles of trails on which Shikharji is replicated. Siddhachalam makes no distinction of race, sects, nationality, etc.