Parasnath is a mountain peak in the Parasnath hill range. It is located towards the eastern end of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Giridih district (Hazaribagh district in British India) of the Indian state of Jharkhand, India. The hill is named after Parshvanatha, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara who got salvation here. In this connection, there is Jain pilgrimage Shikharji on the top of hill. The hill is also known as Sammet Shikhar (lit. 'great mountain', the supreme deity) by other autochthonous of the region in religious context.

Geography

Highest point in Jharkhand

At 1365 m Parasnath is the highest mountain peak in the state of Jharkhand, and is theoretically inter-visible (by direct line of sight on a perfectly clear day) with Mount Everest over 450 km away. There is a beautiful Jain temple on the mountain peak known as "Svarna Bhadra koot " ("cottage of golden grace"). The temple is made of marble.There is another marble jain temple on hill known as Jal Mandir. It is easily accessible from Parasnath railway station.

Jain Heritage

This is one of the most holy and revered sites for the Jain community. They call it Sammed Sikhar. It is a major pilgrimage site. Out of 24 Tirthankaras of Jains, 20 got nirvana on Parshvnatha Hills. On the mountain, there are the Shikharji Jain temples, an important tirthakshetra or Jain pilgrimage site. For each Tirthankara there is a shrine (gumti or Tonk) on the hill. The Jain temple is believed to be constructed by Magadha King Bimbisara. Cunningham noted stone structures in the village, which he describes as a remnant of a Buddhist stupa datable to the 2nd century BCE. Although the site was noted by Cunningham, no excavation has occurred to date. An Ancient idol of Lord Parasnath is located in the valley at Palganj. The idol is believed to be 2500 years old.