Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bring
water and snacks
in a backpack to use on the way up and down. You'll espe-
cially need the water as the heat builds during the day. Stow it in a checkroom on top while
you visit the temples. Once in the Jain Complex proper, no food or drinks are allowed;
No shoes
are allowed
inside
the top complex. Bring a pair of Temple socks to mitigate the
pain of walking on
hard grains of uncooked rice
littering the temple grounds. Rice is one
of the offerings, and you won't believe how badly it hurts stepping on them;
Clean toilets
at the bottom only, 10 Rupees. For “urges” during ascent or descent, use
bushes off the wide path, hopefully, for pee-pees only, permissible; and
Take the
3,500 steps up
, and
3,500 steps down, slowly
! Litter bearers will follow at
least halfway up so you can always opt for a litter if it becomes a little too much. It is a
2,000 feet ascent, a lot for even fit people.
Ready...set...go...
Walking Up the Pilgrimage Way
Putting feet on step number one, we began the upward journey on wide and easy steps,
along with white-clad Jain nuns, monks and pilgrims. There are
exactly
3,500 steps, with
the exact number written on steps at certain points. Lengths of straight, flat walkway occa-
sionally connected a level.
I took my time, enjoying the sights on all sides. Litters carrying children, elderly, along
with the occasional, obese person (who would be a lot healthier if they walked at least
part
of the way). Several litter bearers followed me halfway, waiting to see if I'd pass out and
have to be carried. It was a proud moment when the bearers finally conceded defeat, figur-
ing the skinny foreigner
would
make it to the top.
As we began the uphill at 7:45a, people were already on their way
down
. Some extreme
Jains make at least
threeroundtripsinonedaywithoutfoodorwater.
They leave water
at the bottom, go to the top, make temple rounds, come back down again; drink water,
perhaps eat a little food, and repeat the entire ritual. If you think of Palitana as the Jain's
Mecca, to be visited at least
once
before dying, the devotion is understandable, but 12,000
feet is still a substantial distance. Many Jains even climb to the top
barefoot
.
Eventually, tantalizing spires and views of temples began to appear above us. We passed a
tree at the side of the steps; a Hindu shrine laden with bangles and other offerings for good
wishes.
The steps were fairly shallow and Travels With Sheila went into her own form of med-
itation counting steps, under the hot sun with no shade, “651 steps, 652 steps, 653 steps...”
Reminders of my good-old running days, whiling away the miles with "99 bottles of beer
on the wall, 99 bottles of beer, if one of those bottles should happen to fall, 98 bottles of
beer on the wall."
There Are 863 Jain Temples On Shetrunjaya Hill
Near the top, was a sign with two arrows - one pointing to the left, the other to the right -
along with a map detailing the layouts. All the 863 Jain temples are divided into
two com-
