Pawapuri was at this place that Lord Mahavira, the twenty fourth Tirthankar attained “Nirvana” or eternal salvation from the cycle of death and birth in the year 527 BC.
Pawapuri (Hindi: पावापुरी, Urdu: پوا پوری) or Pava is a holy site for Jains located in the Nalanda district in the Bihar state of Eastern India. It is located about thirty-eight kilometers from Rajgir and 101 kilometers from Patna, the capital of Bihar.
It marks the spot where the mortal remains of the Lord Mahavira was cremated.
Pawapuri is situated in Bihar, India and its proximity to the capital city, Patna makes it approachable to pilgrims and tourists alike. It is situated on the Patna-Ranchi road and can be approached either from Nawadah or Bihar Sharif.
During ancient times about 2600 year ago, Pawapuri was the part of Magadha Kingdom and was called “Madyama Pawa” or “Apawapuri”, Ajatshatru, the son of King Shrenik who was one of the greatest disciples of Lord Mahavira was the King of Magadh during the lifetime of Mahavir. During the reign of Ajatshatru King Hastipal was the King of Pawapuri. When Lord Mahavira came to Pawapuri he stayed in King Hastipal’s “Rajikshala”.
Around 5th Century BCE, Mahavira, the last of the twenty-four Tirthankara achieved Moksha or Nirvana. He was cremated at Pawapuri, also known as Apapuri (the sinless town). There was a great rush to collect his ashes, with the result that so much soil was removed from the place of his cremation that a pond was created.’
There are five main temples in Pawapuri – the Jal Mandir,the Gaon Mandir,the Samosaran,the New Samosaran and another temple built by Bibi Mehetab Kumari. Apart from these temples there is a Digamber Mandir near Jal mandir.