Shikhara Journeys

Jal Mandir, Pawapuri

Bihar

Bihar · East

Jal Mandir, Pawapuri

Pawapuri · Pavapuri · Apapuri

OtherMarks the cremation site of Mahavira in the 5th century BCE; the present marble temple in its tank is of the later historic periodMahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara

Pawapuri, in the Nalanda district of Bihar, is the place where Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara, is held to have attained nirvana, and it is one of the principal pilgrimage sites of Jainism. The Jal Mandir, or water temple, stands in the middle of a lotus tank on the spot traditionally identified as his cremation site, reached by a long stone causeway; the tank itself is said to have formed where earth was carried away for the funeral pyre. The site lies about nineteen kilometres from Rajgir and a hundred from Patna, and the anniversary of the nirvana is observed at Diwali, which in the Jain calendar commemorates this event rather than any other.

Art & Architecture

  • A white marble temple standing in the middle of a lotus tank, reached by a long stone causeway
  • Built at the place where Mahavira is held to have been cremated
  • The tank is said to have formed where earth was taken for the funeral pyre
  • Nineteen kilometres from Rajgir and about a hundred from Patna, in the Nalanda district

Best Season

Jan
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Festivals

Diwali (Mahavira nirvana) · Mahavir Jayanti · Paryushana

Planning your visit

Nearby

Guesthouses and dharamshalas near the temple often take walk-ins. Confirm a single-occupancy rate when you call.

  • Lal baba marriage hall and guest house complex471 m

    From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-23)

  • Hotel Amrit Garden Restaurant517 m

    From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-23)

  • jai mata di hotal1.2 km

    From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-23)

  • Hotel Sunshine1.2 km

    From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-23)

  • Hotel Mystic Moments1.3 km

    From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-23)

  • Spot On Hotel Krishna Garden1.8 km

    From Overture Maps — not verified by us (2026-08-23)

Listings drawn from third-party maps are not verified by us and may be out of date. Please confirm directly before you travel.