Palitana temple is the most famous pilgrimage place for Jain. It is believed that every Jain should visit Palitana at least once in his lifetime to get "Bhavya" status. From the base to the peak of the Shatrunjaya Hill, where the Palitana temples are located, there are, in all, 863 temples. Sunrise behind the temples is a great sight. One can enjoy views from the summit of the hills and the river Shetrunjaya.

One of the most important temples in Palitana is the Digamber Jain Temple. It is an ancient temple that encompasses 9 shrines with the idols of all the Tirthankaras. The main shrine contains the idol of the principal deity, 1008 Bhagwan Shantinath.

It is made of white stone and can be seen in Padmasana posture. According to the Jain calendar, it was installed here in 1686. The temple also houses beautiful idols of Yudhishthir, Bheem & Arjun. Two other idols of Bhagwan Parsavnath are located here.One is called Chintamani Parshvanath and other is called Vighnaharan Parshvanath.

On the both sides of northern gate, foot images of Bhagwan Adinath & Bhagwan Sambhavanath can be seen. It is said that Bhagwan Adinath visited Shatrunjay Hill 93 times. All the Jain temples of Palitana are built in marble and stand adorned with ornate sculptures. Each and every temple located on this hill is a specimen of art. The temple trail starts from the foot of the hill. There are 3745 steps up to the peak of the summit.


How to Reach to Palitana :-

Bhavnagar, the nearest airport lies at a distance of 51 kilometer from Palitana, but the most convenient airport is Ahmedabad as it is connected through regular flights to many important cities of the country like Mumbai and Delhi.Palitana is a small railway station and has connection only with Bhavnagar. Most of the trains stop at Sihor, which is connected to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

There are hourly buses for Bhavnagar from Palitana. Regular buses are also available for Ahmedabad, Talaja, Una, and Diu. The total journey time to Una or Diu is around 6 hours as the roads are not in a good condition. Taxis are also available on hire for Palitana from Bhavnagar. The bus stand is situated 800 meters away from the Palitana railway station.