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The Shri Mahavirji Fair is held from Chaitra Shukla Ekadasi
to Baisakh Krishna Dwitiya (March-April) to commemorate the memory of Shri
Mahavir Swami, the 24th Tirthankara (saint) of the Jains, in Chandan Gaon.
Among the visitors to the fair are the principal followers of Mahavir
Swami - the Digambar Jains, who come from far and wide to pay homage to
the saint at the shrine.
The Mahavirji temple is located in an enclosure known as 'Katala' and
houses the image of Mahavir Swami believed to have been dug out by a
leather worker from 'Devta-Ka-Tila', a nearby hillock. The temple also has
images of other Jain tirthankaras and the idol of Bhairon is installed as
the guardian of the shrine at the door. There is a 'Man- Stambha' (tower
of glory) made of marble in front of the temple.
Members of any community can come to pay homage. Consequently, the shrine
attracts devoted pilgrims of all castes and creeds from neighbouring areas
as well as from Uttar
Pradesh ,
Madhya
Pradesh , Punjab
, Maharashtra
, Delhi ,
Bengal ,
Assam and
Bihar . WORSHIP
AND RITUALS
The temple is maintained by the chief priest called 'Bhattarak' and
assisted by 'Brahmacharis' .These members of the Jain community conduct
various rites and rituals. The pilgrims gather at the temple to worship,
meditate and seek the blessings of the saint with folded hands. The image
of Mahavirji is washed early in the morning, the ritual being called
'prakshalan'. This is followed by 'pujan' and 'ashta-argha' (eight
oblations). In the evening, 'aarti' is performed. Ghee lamps are lit and
the offerings comprise of rice, white and yellow flowers, sandalwood,
camphor, saffron, 'mishri' (crystallised sugar), and dry fruits.
THE RATH YATRA
The fair of Mahavirji reaches its peak on Baisakh Krishna Dwitiya when
the image of the deity is taken to the bank of river Gambhiri in a grand
procession for 'Kailash Abhishek'. The golden chariot (Rath) is drawn by
bullocks. Four persons wave 'chanvars' (fly- whisks) over the image and
the site resounds with "bhajans" and religious songs with
intermittent slogans of 'Shri Mahavir Swami-Ki-Jai'. After the ceremony,
the procession returns with the same grandeur and the image is restored at
the 'vedi' of the temple.
Permanent shops exist at the site, selling food grains, cloth and general
merchandise. Temporary shops spring up at the fair and cater to the needs
of the visitors. Food stalls, toy shops and fruit vendors are a common
sight. A merry-go-round, a circus and plays offer recreational outlets and
students of Jain schools stage plays based on Jain philosophy.
Rail: Chandan Gaon, the site of the fair, is 6.5
kms away from Shri Mahavirji Railway Station of the Western Railway on the
Delhi -Mumbai
broad gauge line. It is 18 kms. from Hindaun, 29 kms from
Karauli and 176 kms from Jaipur.
Road: Buses ply regularly between Jaipur,
Hindaun and Shri Mahavirji and buses and tongas transport the passengers
to the temple.