In Jharkhand’s Giridih district, tribal bodies have recently stepped up their demand to “free” the Parasnath hills from the “clutches” of the Jain community.
Key information about the Parasnath hills:
- A mountain summit in the Parasnath Range is called Parasnath.
- It is situated in the Giridih district of the Indian state of Jharkhand, on the eastern edge of the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
- After the 23rd Jain Tirthankara, it has been given the name Parasnath.
- For the Jain community, it is a holy and treasured location known as “Sammed Sikhar.”
- Twenty of the 24 Jains’ Tirthankaras attained Nirvana on the Parasnath Hills.
- A Jain temple on the summit is thought to have been built by Magadha King Bimbisara (543-491 BCE.)
Santhal Community Information
One of the largest Scheduled Tribe communities in the nation, the Santhal tribe is well represented in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and West Bengal.
Parasnath Hill is known as “Marang Buru” by Santhals. On the day of the full moon in Vaishakha, they hold a hunting festival (mid-April).
