Place · Jain temple · India
Antariksh Parshwanath, Shirpur
Also known as Antariksh Parshwanath, Parshwanatha, Shirpur, Shirpur, Yavatmal, Yavatmal
The Antariksh Parshwanath Jain temple at Shirpur in Washim district, Maharashtra — famous for the 'floating idol' phenomenon in which the main Parshvanatha deity is held to clear the ground by a few inches due to divine levitation (antariksh = sky/air). The temple is uniquely important as a cross-sect pilgrimage: both the Digambara and the Svetambara Jain communities worship the same idol at this shrine, with a shared pilgrimage calendar and ritual. The temple's foundation is traditional 10-century; the current structure is 15-century. The deity is a seated Parshvanatha (the 23rd Tirthankara). The temple's annual Shirpur Panch Kalyanak festival each February-March draws over 200,000 Jain pilgrims from both sects. The temple is managed by the Antariksh Parshwanath Panch Kalyanak Trust.
- Function
- Sacred site & pilgrimage
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 20.414, 78.092
Connections (1)
- Companion in the same setKundalpur, Damoh
Antarīksha Pārśvanātha at Shirpur and Kundalpur at Damoh are both sites where Digambara and Śvetāmbara claims meet the modern Indian courts and the modern conservation argument — one over which sect owns the image, the other over whether rebuilding a siddhakshetra in new marble destroys what made it one. The Antarīksha image is said to stand clear of its pedestal — antarīksha, in the air — and the dispute over which sect owns it has run through Indian courts for decades.
On these journeys
Sources
Wikipedia, “Antarikṣa Pārśvanātha Tīrtha”. Jain tīrtha guides and the Digambara and Śvetāmbara temple trusts’ own records.
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