Prabhaspatan Teerth located in the town of Prabhaspatan in Gujarat is a Jain pilgrimage centre. This teerth is located at a distance of some 400 metres from Prabhaspatan town. The temple at this pilgrimage centre is dedicated to Lord Chandraprabha.
History of Prabhaspatan Teerth
According to history Prabhaspatan Teerth dates back to the ancient times. The famous Somnath temple located here is dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple is said to have been installed by Shri Bharata Chakravarti, the son of Shri Adinath Prabhu. This sacred place has been visited by many emperors, ministers and Shreshthis during the time of first Tirthankara to the last. Prabhaspatan has thus been a famous pilgrimage place. This place is said to have been visited by Sagara Chakravati, Chandrayasha, Chakradhara, King Dasharatha, Pandavas and Hastisena kings. Here `Prabandhachintamani` was composed by Shri Merutungasuriji. The teerth kshetra was also visited by Siddharaj Jaisingh, the ministers Vastupal and Tejpal, Pethadshah, Samarashah and other Shreshthis. Under the inspiration of Acharya Shri Vijayodayasurishvaraji Maharaj Saheb the place was renovated. The ceremonious renovation was done by Pattavibhushana Acharya Shri Chandrasagarasuriji. He was the disciple of renovator of the Agamas Acharya Shri Anandasagarasurishvaraji.
This famous teerth is said to have been established by Bharat Chakravarti. There is a story related to this incident. One day while the king was leading a sangha he saw a few sages practising penance on the bank of the Saraswati River. The saints declared to the king that the land would once be the place of samavasarana of Lord Chandraprabha. The king thus built a city and constructed the temple of Lord Chandraprabha. Maharaj Kumarpal also built many temples here under the instructions of Kalikalasarvajna Hemchandracharya. As per reference the idols have been installed five times by Shri Vijaysurishwarji before the year 1666 of the Vikram Samvat Era. The festival of Anjanashalaka is also celebrated here. In the years of V.S. 1876 and 2008 the temple was again renovated. The idol was installed under the auspices of Shri Chandrasagarsuriji.
Temple of Prabhaspatan Teerth
The Temple of Prabhaspatan Teerth is dedicated to Lord Chandraprabhu. The temple has been magnificently constructed with artistic designs. The idol of the Lord is white in colour and is 115 cm in height. It is seated in a padmasana posture. Apart from this there are many other attractive idols installed in the temple. The idols are made of metal and stand as an exquisite example of art and architecture. The finely shaped waist-bands also add charm to the look of the idols. The idol of Lord Parshvanatha is also present in the temple. Seven other temples are also located in the vicinity of this temple. The temple organises annual gatherings and has provisions for dharamshalas or rest houses. The place is well connected to road, rail and air.