Pawapuri or Pava is sacred place for Jains. Pawapuri is place where Lord Mahavira, the twenty fourth Tirthankar attained "Moksha" in the year 527 BC. It can be approached from Bihar Sharif. In Pawapuri, there is a pilgrimage destination call Jal Mandir, which marks the spot where the mortal remains of the Lord Mahavira was cremated.

Location of Pawapuri
Pawapuri is located in Nalanda District of Bihar. It is around 38 kilometres from Rajgir and 101 kilometres from Patna.

History of Pawapuri
Pawapuri has its history in early India. Around 2600 year ago, Pawapuri was one of twin capital of Mall Mahajanpada which later became the part of Magadha Kingdom and was called "Madyama Pawa" or "Apawapuri. Hastipal was the King of Pawapuri during the reign of Ajatashatru.

Tourism of Pawapuri
Lord Mahavira, the last of the 24 Tirthankaras was cremated at Pawapuri, also known as Apapuri or the sinless town. Now it is one of the tourist destinations in Nalanda District. This site is also known for Jal Mandir that stands magnificently on a rectangular island. Samosharan is another Jain temple that is located here, where Lord Mahavira delivered his last teaching to his followers. Other than these two temples there are two more temples in Pawapuri - the Gaon Mandir, the New Samosaran and another temple built by Bibi Mehetab Kumari. There is also a Digambar Jain Mandir near Jal mandir. The Gaon mandir marks the spot where Lord Mahavira breathed his last. It is believed that this temple was built by King Nandivardhan, elder brother of Lord Mahavira. Jalmandir is a white marble temple that is situated in the middle of a tank filled with lotuses. In order to reach the temple there is a long bridge inside the tank. Rajgir Dance Festival also allures the tourists while visiting Pawapuri in the late winters.

Visiting Information
Pawapuri is well accessed from all parts of Bihar. The nearest airport is at Patna 101 kms. The airlines connect Patna to Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi and Lucknow. Though Rajgir itself has a railway station yet the nearest convenient railhead is at Patna 90.kms. Buses can be taken from Patna, Rajgir, Gaya or other major cities of Bihar to visit Pawapuri.