Shri Bharuch Tirth

Mulnayak: 68 cms high, black-colored idol of Bhagawan Munisuvrat Swami in the Padmasana posture.

Tirth: It is in the Shrimali street in Bharuch on the bank of the river Narmada and on the sea-shore This tirth is on the main Bombay-Ahmedabad railway line. The temple is at a distance of 2.5 kilometers from the railway station. Bus service and private vehicles are available. Boarding and lodging facilities are available here.

Historicity: Eleven and a half lakhs of years ago, King Jitashatra ruled over the city of Bharuch. Munisuvrat, the twentieth Tirthanker came on foot over a distance of 240 miles to Bharuch in order to give sermonsto The Asvamegh Horse and the Horse become a Dev. This tirth is therefore known as Ashvabodh tirth. A female kite was killed by a hunter’ arrow while searching a prey to feed her young ones. The Sadhu spoke to her the Namokar Mahamantra. The female kite was born as the king’s princess. When the princess again heard Navkar mantra, she attained Jatismaranjnana (She remembered her past birth.) Then she built a very high temple, beautiful like a gods residence. This temple became famous as Shakunika Vihar or Samadi Vihar. This temple was also renovated by renowned kings like Sampriti and Kumarpal.In course of time Muslim rulers turned Hindu temples and Jain temples into mosque. This is one of those temples.When the temple of Samadivihar was attacked 500 years ago, this idols were shifted to seven temples, one after another, in the Shrimali street. In course of time when all these seven temples were ruined, this new splendid three-storied temple was built on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the month of Magh in the year 2045 of the Vikram era. The idol was got installed by His Holiness Rajayashasuri. On the first floor the idol of Mulnayak Munisuvrat swami.;onthe second floor, idol of Bhagawan Sahasrafana Parshvanath are installed. The 27 cms.high black-colored idol of Bhagawan Munisuvrat, standing in the Kausagg postureis also here.The other temple at this place is Shri Bhaktamar Bhavya Mandir, in the sanctuary there is an idol of Mantugasurishvarji, the creator of the Bhaktamar Stotra, caught in iron chains. Moreover, these are idols of Marudevamata, Bharat Maharaja, Labdhisuri Maharaj Saheb and Vikramsuriji Maharaj Saheb. In this temple in the cellar, there are depictions, of the forty-four glorious gathas of the Bhaktamar Stotra. For display of these depictions, twenty-five devkulikas are made from marble. There are twenty-two idols of Bhagawan Risabhdev, the first Tirthankara who is worshipped by the devkulikas. Symbolic of the 44 gathas of the Bhaktamar stotra, its yantras and paintings are depicted . In this temple, there is a fifty-one feet high, ancient idol of Bhagawan Mulnayak Adinath, God of the Bhaktmar tirth.

Trust: Shri Munisuvrat Swami Jain Derasar Pedhi, Shrimalipole, Bharuch-392001, State: Gujarat, India.