Simandhar


Simandhar or Simandhara is a Tīrthaṅkara, an arihant, who is said to be currently living in another world in the Jain cosmological universe.

Residence in Jain cosmology

Simandhar resides at Mahavideh Kshetra, another land within the Jain cosmological universe.
The five lands of the Bharat Kshetra are currently in the fifth Ara. The most recent Tirthankara present on Bharata Kshetra was Vardhamana Mahavira, whom historians estimate lived between 599 and 527 BCE, the last in a cycle of 24 Tirthankaras.
On Mahavideh Kshetra, the fourth Ara like exists continuously. There, Tirthankaras perpetually are born. There are 5 Mahavideh Kshetras, each being a separate land. At present, there are 4 Tirthankaras residing in each Mahavideh Kshetra. Thus there are a total of 20 Tirthankaras residing there, Simandhar being one among them.

Biography per Jain tradition

Simandhar is a living Tirthankara, an Arihant, who is said to be currently present on another world in the Jain cosmological universe.
The Arihant Simandhar is believed to be currently 150,000 earth years old and has a remaining lifespan of 125,000 earth years. He lives in the city of Pundarikgiri, the capital of Pushpakalavati, one of 32 geographical divisions on Mahavideh Kshetra. Pundarikgiri is ruled by King Shreyans, who is Simandhar's father. His mother is Satyaki. While pregnant with Simandhar, Satyaki had a sequence of auspicious dreams indicating that she would give birth to a Tirthankara. Simandhar was born with three complete aspects of jnana, or self-knowledge:
  • Mati Jnana, knowledge of the 5-sense realm
  • Shruta Jnana, knowledge of all forms of communication
  • Avadhi Jnana, clairvoyant knowledge
As a young adult, he married Rukamani and then, later in life, took diksha, renunciation from worldly life.
Simandhar's height is 500 dhanushya, approximately 1,500 feet, which is considered an average height for the people of Mahavideh Kshetra.

Worship

Iconography

Simandhara is usually depicted in a sitting or standing meditative posture with the symbol of a bull beneath him. Every Tīrthankara has a distinguishing emblem that allows worshippers to distinguish similar-looking idols of the Tirthankaras.

Main temples

  • Shree Simandhar swami Śvetāmbara Jain Temple,Katargam,Surat