Chamar Leni / Mhasrul Leni – Information (In English)
Location:
Chamar Leni is situated on a triangular hill near Mhasrul village, very close to Nashik city in the state of Maharashtra.
(The wrong interpretation is “Chambhar Leni”, but the correct name is “Chamar Leni”.)
Height:
Chamar Leni is located about 400 feet above the base of the hill.
Route for Visitors:
• Nashik is an important industrial city in Maharashtra.
It is 210 km from Pune and 150 km from Mumbai.
From Nashik – Gujarat Road – Mhasrul – Tavli Phata – Gajpanth Siddhakshetra – by road to the base of the triangular hill – from there, by steps/foot trail one can reach Chamar Leni.
• From Gujarat side – Surat – Navsari – Valsad – Pardi – Nanaponda – Kumbhale – Peint – Tavli Phata – from here, through Gajpanth Siddhakshetra road, one can visit Chamar Leni.
Places to See Around Chamar Leni:
While travelling from Nashik towards Gujarat, from Nashik–Mhasrul road, take the turn at Tavli Phata.
Gajpanth / Siddhakshetra is 8 km ahead.
From there, park the vehicle at the base of the hill and go up either by the stepway or the foot trail.
Stepway (Payeri Marg):
After reaching the triangular hill where the caves are located, park the vehicle and walk a little ahead to reach the stepway.
This is a beautiful stone-built pathway consisting of 437 steps.
Railings are provided along the sides.
As one climbs higher, the steps become steeper.
For regular trekkers, it is an easy climb, but for occasional visitors, it can be tiring.
At the entrance of the cave complex, beautiful idols of Lord Indra and Goddess Ambika can be seen.
Newly Built Temple:
Near the cave group, there is a gate.
On entering, a small Basti temple appears.
It is a newly constructed structure containing several shrine cells (devdis) with attractive idols of Jain Tirthankaras.
Flag Post (Dhwajastambh):
Outside the cave complex stands a beautifully carved flag post.
A Jain religious flag is hoisted on it by Jain monks.
First Cave:
In the first cave, there are three idols of Jain Muni Parshvanath Bhagwan in a seated posture.
Their faces reflect peace, calmness and complete detachment.
Outside the cave, idols of Chandraprabhu Bhagwan, Neminath Bhagwan, and Adinath Bhagwan are present in meditative posture.
The sanctum is painted white and the black stone sculptures stand out in contrast.
Idols of Yaksha and Yakshini are also seen.
The cave has been expanded and a Basti temple is constructed where Jain devotees perform Abhishek, worship, scriptural reading and penance.
Second Cave:
This cave is quite spacious.
In the main sanctum, idols of Shantinath Bhagwan, Kunthunath Bhagwan, and Arhanath Bhagwan stand in standing posture.
A beautiful arch (mahiraap) is seen at the back.
This place is known to relieve mental stress.
Third Cave:
The third cave contains a magnificent 11-feet tall idol of Parshvanath Bhagwan seated in Padmasana.
The idol expresses peace, renunciation, service, satisfaction, and contentment.
Every visitor experiences deep mental peace here.
Circumambulation (Pradakshina):
After exiting the temple-cave complex, one can perform a full circumambulation of the entire hill.
Tanks and Hilltop:
A path leads from the cave complex to the top of the hill.
Two small water tanks can be seen there.
From the hilltop, a beautiful panoramic view of Nashik city can be enjoyed.
Water Tanks:
Two water tanks carved in stone can be seen near the cave group.
These are gradually deteriorating with time.
Gajpanth Siddhakshetra Temple and Museum:
While returning from the caves, at the base of the hill is a Jain temple.
Here, rare idols of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras are displayed.
A Jain religious museum is also present, exhibiting ancient idols, artifacts, palm-leaf manuscripts, handwritten scriptures, inscriptions, bronze images, copper plates, and other historical items.
Historical Information of Chamar Leni Complex:
• Since the early days of Jainism, many Jain monks resided in this region.
• In the 11th century CE, a South Indian Jain king named Gajpati Siddhakshetra Chamaraj had this cave complex carved out for the penance and meditation of Jain monks.
• The great Jain Acharya Kundakunda Dev lived here.
References to this Jain pilgrimage site are found in his scriptures.
• Before the era of Ram and Balram, seven of the Balabhadra attained liberation (Moksha) from this very place.
• Many Yogis and saints also achieved liberation from here.
• During the era of the Balabhadra, Gajkumar Muniraj attained Moksha from this place, hence it came to be known as Gajpath.
• During the Rashtrakuta period, King Virappadev accepted Jain initiation and later became known as Acharya Veersen.
• Acharya Veersen established a learning center here in Chamar Leni.
• Out of the nine Jain Balabhadras, seven attained Moksha from this place during different Tirthankara eras — according to traditional accounts.
• Even today, many Yogis and Jain monks come here for meditation and spiritual practice.
This is the complete information about Chamar Leni / Mhasrul Leni – in English.
