Palitana

The journey in one line

One place in India. Arriving is the journey.

Shatrunjaya rises about six hundred metres above the town of Palitana in Bhavnagar district. On the ridge are roughly nine hundred temples, built and rebuilt from the eleventh century onward. Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, is said to have preached from the summit. The main temple is his. The climb is around 3,500 steps and takes two to three hours at a steady pace. Many people start before dawn to avoid the sun.

No one sleeps on the hill. At dusk the temples are closed and everyone goes down, because the summit belongs to the deity overnight. That rule has been kept for centuries and it shapes the whole day. Palitana town below is also the only place in the world where meat and eggs are banned outright by law, passed after Jain protest in 2014.

October to March. The hill closes during the monsoon, roughly late June to October, and the dates are announced by the trust. Start early. There is no food or drink permitted on the hill and no shade for much of the climb. Doli chairs carried by porters are available for those who cannot walk it, and negotiating the price before starting is normal.

Where it goes

The stops, in order

What a visit means here. A visit means reaching the temple city on the summit of Shatrunjaya. Fasting, vows and any observance are separate and are not recorded.

1. 1

   Shatrunjaya

   શત્રુંજય

   Palitana, India

   

   Shatrunjaya hill above Palitana carries about nine hundred marble temples built over nine hundred years. Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, is said to have preached from the summit. Nobody stays on the hill overnight, so the temples are left to the deity after dusk.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple city on the summit, reached by about 3,500 steps from Palitana.

   Access

   The climb is roughly 3,500 steps and takes two to three hours. Leather is not carried up. The hill closes during the monsoon. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

Respect and access

Leather is not carried up. Belts, bags, wallets and camera straps count. Food is not carried up either, and nothing is eaten on the hill. Jain monks and nuns climb barefoot without possessions. Do not photograph them and do not offer help they have not asked for.

Opening times, prices, permits and eligibility change. Nothing on this page is a statement about today. Follow the Check access link on a place before you plan around it.

Sources

• gujarattourism.comhttps://www.gujarattourism.com/saurashtra/bhavnagar/palitana-and-shatrunjaya-hill.html · checked September 17, 2026

TravelDay selected and grouped these places. Naming a custodian, a government agency or UNESCO as a source is not a claim that any of them endorsed this journey.