Shatrunjaya Hill Temple Complex

Shatrunjaya Hill outside Palitana is the holiest tirtha in Shvetambara Jainism and one of the most extraordinary religious landscapes in the world. Over 900 temples, all carved in white marble, crown a twin-peaked hill rising 600 metres above the Gujarat plains, built by generations of Jain merchants and patrons over nine centuries beginning in the 11th century CE. The temples are arranged in nine fortified clusters called Tonks or Tuks, each enclosing a central shrine surrounded by smaller ones. Pilgrims climb more than 3,800 stone steps to reach the summit, a physically demanding ascent regarded as spiritually transformative. Jains consider a visit to Shatrunjaya essential at least once in a lifetime for attaining salvation. The complex is closed during the four monsoon months each year.