Chha Gaun Yatra — A Hidden Journey

When most of us hear the name Shatrunjay, we remember a time when we were younger and visited India, and our family took us to climb a tall mountain. Maybe we remember waking up early in the morning and running up the 3,500 steps, taking a quick bath in the bath houses and waiting in a long line to do puja of Shri Aadinath Bhagwan. Some of us may remember doing pradakshina (circling) of a large tree. We might remember running back down as fast as we can so that we can quench our thirst with some lemonade or yogurt.

For the majority of us, this is the yatra (pilgrimage) of Shatrunjay that we have done and remember — it is the most common. Maybe a few of us have done Nav Tunk Yatra in which we first start in the secondary campus and visit 8 other temples before the main temple of Rishabhdev Bhagwan. But how many know of a third yatra of Shatrunjay?

March 19th or Fagan Sud Teras is the day that thousands of pilgrims perform what is known as Chha (6) Gau Yatra. It is named after the length that is traveled — 6 gau is approximately 12 miles. This yatra is only done on this day due to its difficulty and remoteness. The journey takes pilgrims to many sites on the Shatrunjay Hills that are lesser known but extremely auspicious.

The journey starts through a small window near the Ram Pol gate. The first temple one reaches is of the six sons of Devaki. As per the Ramayan, Devaki is the mother of Krishna, but before giving birth to him, she had six other sons. All six took Diksha under Neminath Bhagwan and went to Moksha (liberation) near that spot. The next stop is Chandan Talav (Lake). It is said that a disciple of Gandhar Pundarikswami, one of Aadinath Bhagwan’s chief disciples, created this small pool so that other pilgrims could quench their thirst while climbing the mountain. The banks of this lake are famous as the location where many Sadhus performed Kayotsarg and other extreme austerities to finally reach Moksha. Even today, pilgrims will stop at this spot and do Kausagg of 108 or 27 Logassa Stotras.

Further ahead, pilgrims stop and do darshan at the temples of Ajitnath Bhagwan and Shantinath Bhagwan. Both of these Tirthankars are said to have given a Deshna (sermon) in this area. The next hill that comes on the path is called Siddhashila, named for the innumerable souls that have reached the true Siddhashila in Moksh from this hill.

The path begins to wrap around a second mountain peak. This peak is called the Bhandva Dungar. It is said that two of Shri Krishna’s sons, Shaambh and Pradyumna, came here after taking Diksha under Neminath Bhagwan. On the peak of this hill on Fagan Sud Teras, with 85 million other sadhus, the brothers attained Kevalgyan (ultimate knowledge) and Moksha (liberation). As the path begins to descend, it reaches a large banyan tree. This tree is called Siddha Vad (banyan), and similar to the Siddhashila hill, it was named for the volume of souls that have been liberated underneath it. Finally the path ends at the Juni Taleti (old base), the old starting point for the yatra to the Shatrunjay temples.

Many of us might have assumed that the holiness of Shatrunjay was contained only within the walls of the temples on the peak. This 6 Gau yatra shows that not just this one hill, but the entire Shantrunjay Hills, are steeped in history and have been blessed by countless enlightened souls. These hills, valleys, lakes, and caves have been used for meditation and congregation by Jains for thousands of years.

In recent years, we have begun to lose control of this area, and the hills are being desecrated and polluted by other groups. Our Sadhus and Sadhvis, as well as other pilgrims, are being harassed during their yatras. If we wish to protect the sanctity of these hills for our future generations, we should visit Shatrunjay often and help protect our temples and heritage.

If anything in this article has offended you or gone against the teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir, we sincerely ask for forgiveness. Micchami Dukkadam!