Page 9 - Shilanyas2

alive the bhaava (feeling) of teerth darshan and yatra experience to America so that our future generations have a better chance of knowing and preserving their rich heritage.

Shikharji is part of Parasnath Hills in Jharkhand. The left peak, barely visible in sunrise mist, is that of Shri Chandraprabhu (#12) and the peak at the right end is that of Shri Parasvnath (#31). Between these two peaks are all of the other Tonks. A bird’s eye-view distance between the Tonks of Shri Chandraprabhu and Shri Parasvnath is approx. 1.15 miles in Shikharji and 0.5 miles in Siddhachalam.

Elevation and Distance

Our field study affirmed that the highest summit atop Shikharji was that of Bhagwaan Parasvnath (approx. 4,537 ft. above sea level inside the cave). The charan paduka inside the cave is placed in the north-south direction. Jal Mandir (#20; approx. 4,066 ft.) and Tonk of Ganadhar Shubh Swami (#19; approx. 4,076 ft.) are in the valley, almost exactly as in Siddhachalam (elevation approx. 613 and 617 ft., respectively, in Siddhachalam). The increase in elevation between Jal Mandir and Parasvnathji’s Tonk at Shikharji and Siddhachalam was approx. 11.6% and 13.4%, respectively.

A yatra of all Tonks commencing and closing at Ganadhar Shri Gautam Swami’s Tonk (#1) is approx. 5.6 miles (9 kilometers) in Shikharji and 1.97 miles (3.2 kilometers) in Siddhachalam.

Left: Shri Suvadhinath (#9; approx. 4,445 ft.) is atop a high mountain peak. The Tonk is also distinguishable for its unique shape. Right: Tonk of Shri Mahavira Swami (#26; approx. 4,388 ft.) at sunrise. In the distant background are peaks of Shri Chandraprabhu and Shri Suvadhinath. The Tonk of Bhagwaan Mahavira Swami is representative of most Tonks in size and shape.