Ashtapad Jain Temple

Ashtapad Jain Temple is a prominent Jain temple located in Hastinapur, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh. Built as a replica of the Ashtapad on Mount Kailash, it is dedicated to Lord Rishabhanatha, the first Jain Tirthankara. The multi-storey marble structure stands about 101 feet high and is known for its intricate architecture, idols and panoramic views of the Hastinapur pilgrimage town.

Visitors can expect a large, multi-level marble temple complex built to replicate the Ashtapad shrine of Mount Kailash. The temple features ornate pillars, carved domes, idols of Jain Tirthankaras, especially Rishabhanatha, and open terraces with views over Hastinapur. The surroundings are calm and maintained for pilgrimage and sightseeing, with pathways, prayer halls and areas for circumambulation within the Jain Teerth campus.

Hastinapur is an ancient town traditionally associated with the Mahabharata period and is revered in Jain tradition as the birthplace of three Tirthankaras - Shantinatha, Kunthunatha and Aranatha. The Ashtapad is traditionally believed to be the place on Mount Kailash where Rishabhanatha attained nirvana and where his son Bharata built the first Ashtapad temple. The present Ashtapad Jain Temple at Hastinapur was constructed in recent decades by Jain trusts to recreate that legendary shrine for pilgrims unable to visit Mount Kailash.

The temple is an important Jain pilgrimage site and part of the Hastinapur Jain Teerth circuit, which includes Digambar and Shwetambar temples. It holds religious significance for Jains as a symbolic representation of Ashtapad and is visited for prayer, meditation and religious festivals, especially during Mahavir Jayanti and Paryushana.