 | ||
Gopachal hill (also called Gopachal Parvat) is a hill located in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The famous Gwalior Fort stands on this hill. The hill houses unique groups of ancient Jain idols.
Contents
History
The statues on the hill seem to be carved around 15-16th century AD by Tomar dynasty rulers. From 1398 A.D. to 1536 A.D., thousands of Jain idols were carved in the hill. These giant statues were built during the reign of Tomar Kings — Viramdev, Dungar Singh and Kirti Singh.
Temple Caves
There are 26 caves on the front side of the hill. A colossus of Parshvanatha in padmasan posture 47 feet in height & 30 feet in breadth is present in one of the caves. It is said that when Babur tried to destroy idol of Parshvanatha his hands just stopped working and they had to flee.
Tallest statue here is a 58 feet 4 inches high idol of Rishabhanatha is present outside the Urvahi gate. A 35 feet high statue of Suparshvanatha in the Padmasana posture is also present in another cave in the same area.
These idols were mercilessly destroyed under the reign of Mughal King Babur. In spite of invasion, many Jain sculptures of Gwalior have survived in fairly good condition.
Traditional Significance
According to Jains, Tirthankara Parshvanath delivered his discourse (deshna) on this hill.