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  • Essay / Creation of places in the Jain pilgrimage

    A “tirtha” (a sacred place of pilgrimage) in India has strong religious aspects. The realities of the natural place were recognized by the religious; and it is from them that the myths which governed the ritual use of places emerged. The place then becomes sacred. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the context of “ritual use” of “sacred place,” it becomes important to know how geometric formalism (built form) deals with the nature of the terrain. Therefore, the architecture (of a temple) at a certain location involves an understanding of the built form, the nature of the terrain, and the attitudes that relate the built form to the terrain. Jain temples have the most distinct and artistic expression from other temples and a particular geometric system and shape. It focuses more on the cultural and spiritual beliefs and life of the Jain community. To understand the basic organization and architectural principles of temple architecture, it is not necessary to study all the temples of India. Because these temples have a similar ideology. Variations are solely due to geographical location, faith in religion of the inhabitants of a particular place, social and economic patterns and available construction materials and techniques. This thesis focuses on the “place-making” observed in the Jain tirtha on the mountains. According to Jain philosophy, the concept of temples on mountains comes from the "mountain of immortality", the ability to live forever, a quality worth remembering. The quality of placemaking is also seen in Hinduism and other Indian traditions, but here Jainism has been taken as an example. Temples are another type of public place where the activities that take place inside the temples are very specific, whereas the activities that take place outside the temples. The aim of this thesis is to study the different activities that take place outside the temple complex. It is an attempt to understand 'places' on the basis of their principles, through selected examples from Jain Tirtha. This will help to understand the order of configuration of the built form and the ongoing activities. The aim of the thesis is to study and understand the factors affecting the creation of different typologies in Jain tirtha taking the example of Sammed Shikharji. Objective: To study the factors affecting the creation of a temple complex and fragmented temples (at Sammed Shikharji). Analytical criteria need to be formulated, which can address the nature of the temple in complex geographical conditions of the terrain, using simple parameters (e.g. how the individual temple is placed on the terrain). What is the idea of ​​center and how is it different in the temple complex and a fragmented temple? How is the route layout different in terms of activities in the two Tirthas? Study of the visual order of the built form and sequence of the temples Access to the individual temple Creation of places in the two tirthas (comparison of the tirtha complex and the fragmented temples on the mountain) Methodology: The methodology involves different stages. First, documentation of the general layout of the hills. An attempt will be made to locate Sammed Shikharji in his historical period. Interview with Jain monks to know the belief of Jain temples on the hill. Mapping of activities: study of movement patterns throughout the route; model of access to the Parikrama outside the temple; religious activities (prayers/Bhavna); personal (roompujari/locker rooms/offices); Social activities (common gathering place defined/emerged). Land Use Pattern - Open, Semi-Open and Covered Scopes and Limitations: This study is geographically limited to temples located on mountains. Analysis of temples is largely limited to its “form” and not the spaces within the temple. The spaces inside the temple are equivalent to those of any other Jain temple interior. We try to hide the interior spaces, because the exterior conditions are more important for the study. Hence the shape of the temple is more concentrated, while the interior spaces were only analyzed when they constitute an important part of the analysis. Although many books are available on temple architecture, written materials on Samed Shikharji are very rare; only a few books written by Jain munis (monks) are available. Discovery was left entirely to the student based on field studies and drawings. The drawings available in books/theses will serve as a basis. Introduction to Jainism and Jain Cosmology: Jainism across the world has always been very generous to all kinds of life. Jainism does not adopt belief in God, but it divides the universe into two categories: "Jiva" (life) and "Ajiva" (no life). “Should not kill and should not cause to be killed”; This is the basic motto of Jain philosophy. The Jain religion was born more than two and a half thousand years ago in India. He developed the path of purification, designed to free the individual from the chains of Karma, thereby allowing one to enter a state of eternal liberation. Jainism emphasizes non-violence, or ahimsa, as the only true path to liberation. Jain Tirtha has evolved over time with its strong Jain mythology. Early Buddhist texts discuss Jainism in some detail, suggesting that it was a well-established tradition even before the time of Buddha. It is not without reason that a temple or a group of temples is built in a particular place. The existence of a temple at a location probably indicates that the location could be a religious site or political center. Almost all religious people emphasized the sacred character of certain localities. For Christians, Jerusalem has been the holiest place, as Islam's Mecca and Medina are. Similarly, Jains honor certain places as sacred and build temples in honor of Tirthankaras. These places in a Jain religion called tirtha or tirthaksetra. Tirthaksetra are the places where Tirthankaras were born, practiced great austerities, attained omniscience, renounced the world and initiated religious life, attained and realized liberation, and places famous for their beautiful temples or wonderful idols. The holy places according to Digambaras are Swetambara where the Jinas achieved liberation. What is placemaking? As Jane Jacob said, Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. Strengthening the connection between people and the places they share, placemaking refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm to maximize shared value. Individual places have the capacity to provide something for everyone, only because and only when everyone creates them. Mark A. Wyckoff of the FACE MSU Land Policy Institute provided different definitions of placemaking. Standard placemaking is the process of creating quality places where people want to live, work, play, and learn. Strategic placemaking aims to achieve a particular objective in addition to creating quality places. The creationof creative places aims to shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, a city or a region around artistic and cultural activities. Tactical placemaking is closely linked to short-term, lighter, faster, cheaper actions. As Casey writes, a place is not a simple piece of land, an expanse of bare earth, a sedentary collection of stones. Rather, it is something for which we must continually discover or invent new forms of understanding. Placemaking is community-driven, visionary, context-specific, transformative, flexible and collaborative. Placemaking is something that defines a community, to make it more friendly and so that people passing through do not miss the opportunity to feel the unique meaning of this place. Sometimes creating a place depends on the type of building. In this case, the building is already there and, according to the user group, they have started to develop the neighborhood. In religious places like Jain temples, where people collectively or intentionally shape their path to make the journey more comfortable and unique. Studying placemaking in religious places is important for understanding how they differ from other places in terms of user groups and types of activities. Placemaking does not rely solely on community contributions, but focuses more on the outcomes of the built area environment. There are few factors that affect placemaking: Sociability Uses and activities Access and connections Comfort and neighborhood Description of important Jain tirtha According to the Jain text Tirthankara Bhagwan Adinath (Rishabhdev) obtained salvation from Kailash Parvat, 12th Tirthankara Bhagwan Vasupujya from Champapuri, 22nd Tirthankara Bhagwan Neminath got salvation from Girnar Parvat, and the last 24th Bhagwan Mahavir from Pavapuri and the remaining twenty Tirthankaras got salvation from Samed Shikharji. 2.4 About Samed Shikharji, Jharkhand: Remote and rural, Bhihar is the birthplace of Jainism. Indeed, its very name is derived from the Sanskrit word “Vihara”. Separated from neighboring Bihar in 2000 to meet the demands for autonomy of the Adivasi (tribe) population, Jharkhand is a land of immense natural and anthropological wealth. Many Jain munis went to this place to meditate and obtain salvation. Jharkhand is commonly known for its Jain pilgrimage place called Samed Shikharji. It is a sacred place for Jain. It is said to be one of the highest peaks, compared to other Jain pilgrimage sites. 2.4.1 Location: Parasnath is a mountain peak in the Parasnath range. It is located in the southeastern edge of Giridih district in the state of Jharkhand. It is located at latitude 23'N and longitude 86-13'E. Shikharji is almost an isolated hill. It rises gently from the plains to almost 4,490 feet (1,370 m) from sea level. 2.4.2 History: Samed Shikhar and Shatrunjay are the most important among all the Jain pilgrimages of India. Shatrunjay pilgrimage is on a hilltop in western India and Sammet Shikhar is in eastern India. When a single auspicious event of a Tirthankar can turn a place into a pilgrimage, it will be quite impossible for a human to assess the sanctity and power of this pilgrimage where as many as twenty Tirthankars have kindled the inextinguishable light of the “nirvana”. . Even though the first light of “nirvana” was lit in Ashtapad (in the Himalayas), today this pilgrimage is invisible to us. In such circumstances, Samed Shikhar is that pilgrimage which we can hail as the “Shikhar” (Summit) of the first light of “nirvana”. Sammet Shikhar is the highest light of “nirvana”. Climate: This state has three distinct seasons. The winter seasonextends from November to February. The sky is generally clear or overcast in the late evening and early morning. May is considered the hottest month of the year. The preferable time to climb the hill is winter and summer. The view of the surroundings: From the top of the hill, one can have the view of the entire pilgrimage site, all the temples, shrines and endless views of the surrounding landscape. From the first tonk 9.00 km to the east one can see the Parasnath tonk (31st tonk) and to the south down the hill a small vision of the Jal mandir tonk (20th tonk). Nature of the land: Dealing with landforms and the relationship between the built form and them helps us understand the important work of man in creating a meaningful place. The first question arises: “why choose a particular site?” The relationship between built form and site is very fundamental: it involves recognizing the physical characteristics, intangible qualities and meaning of a particular site (associated values). The reality of the territory: Physical characteristics: a built form of any site can be understood by identifying the physical characteristics of the land. The nature of the contours and the type of terrain give different possibilities to the built form and the location. A sloping site is an obstructed inclined plane. A prominent 3rd dimension gives more importance to the site. Most of the land formulation occurred with the flow of water from the hillside. Intangible qualities: The particularity of this mountain is that it always reminds, with the fragrant trees, of a large Sandal forest located above it. Several rare medicinal plants are found on this mountain. The melodious sound of cool waterfalls flowing over this mountain gladdens our heart. Meaning of a particular site (associated values): In the history of any sacred place, religious thought plays an important role. Myth, rituals and other symbolism include the land and the land becomes sacred. In India, places like rivers, mountains and forests are considered sacred. As many Jain munis traveled here to seek salvation, Samed Shikharji, the place itself became sacred before the construction of the temples. The temples on the mountain are considered a link between the earth (human) and the sky (God). A pilgrimage like Samed Shikharji has its own myths behind the location of each shrine and temple. They are said to be placed exactly at the place where every Tirthankara attained his salvation. Evolution of the hill: The site of the largest tirtha is located in this landscape of the Shikharji hills. The top of the hill is made up of 3 ridges oriented east-west. The west ridge is higher than the east ridge. The entire trail is covered with multiple small shrines and temples. Description of the tonk and drawings: General description of the tonk: This peak is just near the village of Madhuban. The hill has 6 miles of straight climbing. An additional 6 miles of walking covers all the temples and shrines. 6 miles down the hill, making a total of 18 miles (27 km) around the summit. The area of ​​the hill is approximately 55 km². (perimeter 30km). The entire hill consists of various built form elements. Except for the built form, it features a large amount of vegetation. The entire mountainous area comes under the forest department. The forest department has allowed 15% construction on an entire mountain. 15% built includes all temples, other built forms e.g. post office, Bhata ghruh. The hill can be divided into two different peaks. One occupies the top of the western hill called Shri Prabhu Parashnath tonk and the other peak comprises the 31 tonks of Tirthankara. Tonk one (Shree Gautam Prabhu).