THE GLIMPSE OF THE MAGNIFICANCE OF A LOST CITY.

VAISHALI DHYANI (160823042)

INTRODUCTION
Hastinapuram ‘Hastin’ (elephant) + ‘puram’ (city) is a city
named after the elephants. It is also said to be named after the
King ‘Hastin’ this place was named ‘Hastinapur’, which is
also known as Gajpur, Nagpur, Brahmasthal, Shanti Nagar
and Kunjarpur in ancient texts.

After few generations so-called Kuru dynasty came into

existence. At the time of Mahabharata, it was the capital city
of Pandevas and kauravas. This city was the centre of
conflicts and it has been the silent witness to the well-known,
grand, royal war of pandevas & kauravas. History of this
place begins from the period of Mahabharata.

CHRONOLOGY OF HASTINAPUR

After the Epic war of Mahabharata, Hastinapur was ruled by

pandevas for the next 36 years. and Later, the dynasty of
Chandra Vansh of Hastinapur ruled for several decades and it
ended with Chemak (B.C 383). After that, the dynasties of the
kingdom of Magadh flourished up to the Gupt dynasty (B.C
328), which later on overpowered by the Rajput’s (A. D
1155). With Islamic invasion, later the city was under Muslim
invaders. During British raj in India, Meerut was also the part
of Hastinapur which was later got separated due to floods in
Ganges.

Since the Mahabharat war and the concept of starting of kaliyug were important historical incidents,
they have been broadly documented in ancient texts like Bhartiya scriptures and were constantly
referenced in the write ups by great intellectual such as Mahakavi Kalidas, the greatest poet, writer
and literary figure of that time and Aryabhatt, the greatest astronomer and mathematician.

HASTINAPUR AND JAINISM

Hastinapur is also known as the great pilgrim centre - by the Jain community. Located on the banks of
old ravine of Ganges, Hastinapur is considered as one of the holiest places in India. During 18th –19th
century under the rule of Islam the condition of Hastinapur was very poor.

However, Jain Devotees were eager to have Jain temple in Hastinapur as it was a sacred place for
them. In the year 1801, Shri Raja Harsukha Rai felt a very strong need of constructing Jain temple for
the prestige and wellbeing of the Jain community at Hastinapur and few more places in India. Raja
Harsukha Rai was the treasurer of Mughal Emperor Shah Aalam in Delhi, and being at such a high
position he was capable of doing such things. Hastinapur, at that time was ruled by the Hindu puppet
ruler King Nain Singh of Bahsume. Impressed by the work of Harsukha for restoring the old masjid
magnificently, Shah Alam accepted the request as it’s prize.

Other than Jain temples many ancient Hindu temples are also there like
Pandeshwar Temple, Karna Temple. It also has gurudwara which
amaze people with their architecture. So, the city is basically having
the combination of Hindu, Jain and Sikh community and its architecture. A number of masterpieces of
architecture and centre of great faith of different religion are worth visiting here, along with the wild
life sanctuary. Also, recently after years of ignorance, Hastinapur is nominated to be developed as the
national tourist site in the budget 2020.So now the government is taking steps to embrace this old city.
PLAN OF JAIN TEMPLE PREMISES

DIGAMBAR JAIN BADA TEMPLE

The one of the oldest shrines in Hastinapur is Digambar Jain Bada temple. Here the word, ‘Bada’
means, this is really a very big temple. It is placed on a 40 ft high raised earth. this grand temple
stands on a 4 ft high plinth and is topped with a beautifully
crafted long spire.
The alter, with three gates, holds the white coloured statue of god, i.e., the main deity of the temple,
sitting in padamasana.
A unique feature of the temple is that it’s big entrance with a gradual slope ramp which makes it
easier for physically disabled people to enter the temple premises. So here the universal design was
kept in mind while construction of this old shrine by the builders. The interior is covered with gold
paintings depicting stories from Jain religion. This temple has carved out of marble faces and the use
of bricks was almost negligible.
The roofs of temple have peaked domes and wherever there is a dome, the columns are omitted to
make an octagonal space within. It has numerous pillars having a well-designed structure, forming
squares. The squares thus formed create chambers, used as small chapels and contains the image of a
deity. Divided into sanctums and surrounded by a range of chapels and shrines, and the maze of pillar
act as a protection against plunderers. As earlier the foreign invader used to invade temples which has
huge amount of gold and money, So, this defensive feature is thoroughly followed in the temple
design. It is believed that approximately 7-8 kg of gold was spent in embellishing the interiors. Also
this temple has miniature statuses of Mahavir made up of precious stones like Diamond , Panna, Gold
and so on……and as we know from our study of history of architecture the Jain community were the
community of rich traders whose changed their religion because they didn’t get the expected respect
in Hinduism being ‘shudras’.

ASHTAPAD
Jain Architecture has concept of
building temple-cities on hills based on
the concept of mountains
of immortality. As name says,
Ashtapad means eight steps. according
to Jain scriptures, there is eight steps to
spirituality and according to legends,
Bhagwant Rishabhdev, the first
tirthankara attained salvation at this
place.
it is also believed that those who visit ashtapad also attain salvation. so, a replica of the ashtapad has
built with the context with this thought of attaining and experiencing this attain salvation in
Hastinapur. the place in itself has that aura of belief and spirituality, I remember when I visited the
place, I noticed that its grandeur had a huge impact on the psychology of the visitor.
this magnificent temple was constructed at the cost of
Rs. 25 crores. the 151 ft tall, 108 diameter palatial
structure can be reached through four gates. it has eight
padas or steps and each step is 108 ft in height.
The building is circular in shape. It has ramp all around
leading to the temple at the top. Whereas, it has about
three floor high central hall at the ground floor which
has a grand status of Mahaveer at the centre and the
status is about five metres high. At the outer of the
building it has rectangular jhalota in which there are
statues of Mahaveer in different-different posture. It is
made up of precious stones and marble.
The art and architecture of the Jains have the main objective to maintain, preserve and glorify the
culture extensively. They also glorify the devotees too internally with psychological bliss. Jains
realized that true art represents the spirit of true religion. Besides its religious value, it has been taken
as a treasure of the country.

KAILASH PARVAT
Kailash Parvat (Hill) was the place of salvation of
Teerthankar lord Rishabha Dev. The Kailash Parvat
comprises of three stages and has 72 temples that
represent the important Tirthankaras of the past, present
and future as well. There is a main temple in the middle
of the complex which is 131 ft high. The main
attraction of the structure is beautifully carved
doorways, ceilings, panels and pillars. This holy Tirth
of Jainism is now within India occupied China making
it difficult for the followers to visit their holy place .So
this was the idea behind the construction of this temple.
Now, Hastinapur being sacred due to the first ‘Aahar’
of Bhagwan Rishabha Dev, this place was thought proper to construct the model of Kailash Parvat –
the place of salvation of 1st Teerthankar.
So this project of construction has been taken in to hands and work is in progress. This will be a
unique magnificent creation in the world, the center of attraction of devotees.
Its height is planned 131 feet, an attractive idol of Bhagwan Rishabha Dev – 11.25 feet in height in
Padmasana posture will be installed here.
This temple has so many small temples around leading to the one main temple at the centre which is
having the statue and the charan paduka of the main deity. All the temple has separate stairway to
reach their Garbhaghirha. The. The material used is brick, cement, concrete and marble. It has
landscaping at the front and the temple of Ashtapad can also be seen from its premises. This temple
architecture is generally close to Hindu temple architecture. Normally the same builders and carvers
worked for all religions, and regional and period styles are generally similar.

BHAI DHARAM SINGH GURUDWARA

The word ‘gurdwara’ is compounded of Guru (spiritual guide or master) and Dwara (gateway or seat)
and, therefore, has an architectural connotation.

This Sikh gurudwara temples has large celebratory buildings connected with the Guru Bhai Dharan
Singh who has historical significance in Sikh religion. Located at a distance of 2.5 km from
Hastinapur, the Bhai Dharam Singh Gurudwara is a fabulous Gurudwara that is situated in Saifpur
Village. This Gurudwara is considered to be one of the most holy pilgrimage centres of the Sikh
community. It was established by Bhai Dharam Singh in his native village Saifpur. Bhai Dharam
Singh was one among the panj pyare, who were instructed by Guru Gobind Singh at Anantpur
Sahib for forming the nucleus of Khalsa.

The Gurudwara is said to be one of the most pious and religious places of worship for the Sikhs in
India as well as abroad. There is a lot of space inside the structure and one can go and sit there for
hours and be one with God.

PANDESHWAR MAHADEV TEMPLE

‘Pandeshwar Mahadev Temple’ is the only place left which is linked with the epic story of
Mahabharat in Hinduism as rest of buildings were destroyed either during Islamic invasion or in the
floods of Ganges. It is believed that Pandu’s first-born son, Yudhishthira established a shiv-ling (a
stone worshiped in Hinduism) and prayed Mahadev for winning the great war, Mahabharata.

It is the one of the oldest Hindu temples in the city and Lord Shiv fulfil people’s vow easily in this
temple as per the beliefs. The temple is famous for a huge tree, a well and an old ‘shivling’ located
inside this.

KARAN TEMPLE

Hastinapur is a very old city and there are a lot of ancient

temples that were recently dug up. It is located very close
to the Temple of Pandeshwar in the same complex is the
Karan Temple, situated at about 2 km from the center of
the city. The Pandeshwar Mahadev Temple is located right below a Kali temple that is perched on top
of a hillock and provides some of the best views.

This temple is very close to River Ganga and has a Shiv Ling inside the temple; this Lingaa is said to
be established by Karna, a prominent figure in the Mahabharata. Visitors go to this temple to see and
worship the deity of Lord Shiva and offer their prayers. The temple is made up of stone. It does not
have any bonding material used, instead it is made by just placing of heavy nature stone. It has
mandala, semi mandala and garbhagriha where the statue of deity lord Shiva is kept. You can do a
boat ride to Budhi Ghat to go to the temple as well
Pandeshwar Mahadev Temple.

ADINATH NISHIYAJI TEMPLE

Nishiyajis are places of worship amongst Jains and there are three different Nishiyajis in Hastinapur;
This was the exact place where he first broke his fast after one whole year. When Lord Adinath came
to that spot, the brother of the rule of Hastinapur, Shreyansa Kumar gave the Lord some sugar cane
juice to break his fast and thereafter built this temple to
commemorate that fact that Lord Adinath ate here for the
first time in one year.

Structurally speaking, this Jain temple is constructed on a

square plan with openings in four cardinal directions, each
of which could lead to the image of a Tirthankara. The
interior of the temple has a singularly large number of
columns, from which a false arch/bracket. The temple is
surrounded by the beautiful landscaped garden with
fountains and Prasadgriha.

KAMAL MANDIR

Kamal Mandir, also known as the Lotus Temple is built in the vicinity of the amazing Jambudweep
Temple and was built in the year 1975. This temple has a unique structure that resembles the shape of
a lotus and is very pleasing to the eyes. The temple houses a
shrine of Lord Mahavir and attracts flocks of people and
devotees from all over the country.
Devotees come here to worship and give huge donations to
the temple in the name of God; they also light earthen lamps
and give away golden umbrellas in order to see their wishes
come true. The temple is set up in a beautiful place and there is
a serene feel to the place when you enter.

HASTINAPUR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

The Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area for endangered animals and birds and spreads
across a massive area of 2073 sq. km. This sanctuary is so huge that it spreads across four districts
Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Meerut, Bijnor and Ghaziabad and
is also believed to be a part of the Mahabharata
battlefield. You can see a number of endangered species
in the sanctuary which are in their natural habitat and not disturbed by external manmade elements;
animals like wild cats, fox, monkeys, leopards, bijju, wild hogs etc can be spotted in the sanctuary.
There are different varieties of reptiles as well as insects too. The Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary also
has a 72 feet tall Hanuman Temple that is visited by many who come here.

Conclusion

This city is a precious treasure of Indian history, it is the place of many religions and culture making it
a hotspot for tourism and belief. It should be preserved and enhanced by the people and government
itself.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99feb20/saturday/head1.htm

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-mahabharatha-places-to-visit-at-
Hastinapurhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastinapur#Pandeshwar_Temple

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