Gopachal mountain, whose edge is made of steep stone rocks by nature as the outer wall of Gwalior fort. These steep rocks were cut and statues of Jain Tirthankaras were carved in standing posture and sitting posture in Padmasana. These are monuments protected by the Archaeological Department. I came here to see these rare huge statues.
These huge statues of Tirthankaras are located in the south-east direction of Gwalior Fort, which are not visible from outside. Known as Patthar Ki Bawdi group due to a stone stepwell near the first statue, this group has now been taken over by the local Jain community and this area is known as Gopachal Atishya Kshetra.
I entered from the entrance which is near Deendayal City Mall, I was with family so there was no problem otherwise entry for young boys and girls is difficult. After going inside, stone stairs which are more than 100 lead to this monument.
This monument is spread over about 400 meters in a row and about 26 caves were carved and in these caves, the sculptures of twenty four tirthankaras were carved. These sculptures were made in the fourteenth and fifteenth century under the reign of Raja Kirti Singh Tomar and Raja Dungar Singh Tomar who were Rajput kings and patrons of art and architecture. I could easily recognize the standing statue of Bhagwan Mahavir.
The pedestal or pillar on which the statue of Mahavira is placed has the symbols of lions which indicate the fact that this statue is of Mahavira.
This visit was exciting and it provided an opportunity to get acquainted with the hidden heritage situated at the base of the Gwalior Fortress wall.