Hastinapur

Hastinapur
City

A temple in Hastinapur
Hastinapur

Location in Uttar Pradesh, India

Coordinates: 29°10′N 78°01′E / 29.17°N 78.02°ECoordinates: 29°10′N 78°01′E / 29.17°N 78.02°E
Country India
State Uttar Pradesh
District Meerut
Elevation 202 m (663 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 21,248
Languages
 • Official Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 250404

Hastinapur (Hindi: हस्‍तिनापुर, Sanskrit: हस्‍तिनापुरम् Hastināpuram) is a town and a nagar panchayat in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Etymology

Hastinapuram (Sanskrit) Hastin (elephant) + puram (city) is a city named after the elephants. History of this place begins from the period of Mahabharata. It is also described as Gajpur, Nagpur, Asandivat, Brahmasthal, Shanti Nagar and Kunjarpur in ancient texts.

History

Balarama pulling Hastinapur toward the Ganges, page from a Bhagavata Dasamskanda series.

Hastinapur was the capital of the Kuru dynasty of kings. All incidents in the epic Mahabharata have taken place in the city of Hastinapur. The first reference to Hastinapur in Puranas comes as the capital of Emperor Bharata. Samrat Samprati, the grandson of the emperor Asoka, built many temples here during his empire. The ancient temple and stupas are not present today. Excavation at Hastinapur was carried out in the early 1950s by B.B. Lal, Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. Although the main aim of this excavation, mentioned by Lal himself, was to find out the stratigraphic position of Painted Grey Ware with reference to other known ceramic industries of the early historical period, Lal also ended up making correlations between the text of the Mahabharata and the material remains that he uncovered at Hastinapur. This exercise led him to historicize some of the traditions mentioned in the text, as well as link the appearance of the Painted Grey Ware with the arrival of the Aryans in upper Ganges basin areas.[1] Though Pre history of Hastinapur is not clear as full scale excavation could not be undertaken in inhabited area. In the medieval era, Hastinapur was attacked by Mughal ruler Babur when invading Hindustan. During British India, Hastinapur was ruled by the Gujjar Raja Nain Singh Nagar. He built many temples in and around Hastinapur.[2]

Geography and Climate

In the present-day Hastinapur is a town in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh in India around 37 km from Meerut and 90 km north-east of Delhi on National Highway 119. It is a small township re-established by Jawaharlal Nehru on February 6, 1949. Hastinapur is located at 29°10′N 78°01′E / 29.17°N 78.02°E.[3] Hastinapur has an average elevation of 218 metres. Hastinapur experiences extremes of climate similar to the other cities of Uttar Pradesh. Summer season is from the month of March to the month of May. During the summer temperatures vary from a minimum of 32 °C and rise up to a maximum of 40 °C. Monsoon season is from July to September. Temperatures during the monsoon months are usually low. Winters months are from December to February. December is usually the coldest month of the year. Temperatures can drop to a minimum of 1 °C can rise up to a maximum of 12 °C during this time.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Hastinapur had a population of 21,248. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Hastinapur has an average literacy rate of 73.9%, above than the national average of 59.5%. In Hastinapur, 15% of the population is under 10 years of age.[4]

Places of interest

Located on the banks of old ravine of Ganges, Hastinapur is considered one of the holiest place on earth by Jains. It is believed to be the birthplace of three Jain Tirthankaras. There are many ancient Jain temples in Hastinapur. Shri Digamber Jain Mandir, Jambudweep, Kailash Parvat, Shwetambar Jain Temple are the main and famous temples in Hastinapur. Apart from Jain temples, Pandeshwar temple, Historical Gurdwara and Hastinapur Sanctuary are worth being seen.

Temples and Monuments

Shri Digamber Jain Bada Mandir

Shri Digamber Jain Bada Mandir is the oldest Jain Temple in Hastinapur. It was constructed in June 1801 from the fund accorded by Raja Harsukh Rai under the supervision of Lala Jai Kumar Mal.[5] The principal deity in the main temple is 16th Jain Tirthankar Shri Shantinath in Padmasana posture. The altar also has idols of 17th and 18th Tirthankara on both sides viz. Shri Kunthunath and Shri Aranath respectively. Presently, there are dozens of temples and historical monuments in the premises which were mostly built in the late 20th century. Digamber Jain Mandir has excellent lodging facility for the pilgrims. Pure vegetarian food is also available for Jain pilgrims. It has many other facilities including Post Office, Police Sub-station, Jain Gurukul and Udaseen ashram. There are nearby sites of tourist attraction as well, like Jal Mandir, Jain Library, Acharya Vidyanand Museum, 24 Tonks and ancient Nishiyaji’s, situated few kilometers from the main temple.[6]

Kailash Parvat Rachna

Kailash Parvat is a 131 feet high structure, constructed under the aegis of Shri Digamber Jain Mandir Hastinapur. The Panch-kalyanak Pratishtha Mahotsava of Kailash Parvat was accomplished in April 2006. Kailash Parvat premises has various Jain Temples, Yatri Niwas, Bhojanshala, Auditorium, Helipad and lots of tourist attractions.[7][8]

Jambudweep Jain Tirth

The marvelous sculpture showing the structure of Jain Geography has been designed here under the supervision of Shri Gyanmati Mataji. The premises has various Jain temples which includes Sumeru Parvat, Lotus Temple, Teen Murti Mandir, Meditation Temple, Badi Murti, Teen Lok Rachna and many other tourist attractions.[9]

Shri Shwetambar Jain Temple

The Shwetambar temple is renovated recently and the re-establishment took place on Margashirsha Shukla of VS 2021. Ashtapad built under the aegis of Shri Shwetambar Jain Temple is 151 feet high structure.[10] The architectural details of this monument is worth being seen. The Panch-kalyanak Pratishtha took place in December 2009 under nishra of Gachhadipati Acharya Nityanand Surishwerji. Jain Sthanak is also situated near to Shwetambar Jain Temple.[11]

Ancient Pandeshwar Temple

Digamber Jain Mandir, Hastinapur

Located in the ruins of the old city of Hastinapur, Old Pandeshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. A statue of Goddess Kali and many Hindu Ashrams are also present on hillock of ruins. Karna temple situated nearby lies on the bank of old ravine of Ganges. The Shivling inside Karna temple is said to be established by Karna, one of the central figure in the epic of Mahabharata.[12]

Bhai Dharam Singh Gurdwara

It is a small Gurdwara located in a village Saifpur, some 2.5 km (1.6 mi) away from Hastinapur. Bhai Dharam Singh (1666–1708) was one of the Panj Pyare (Punjabi: ਪੰਜ ਪਿਆਰੇ) or the Five Beloved, the forerunners of Khalsa. He was the son of Bhai Sant Ram of the village Saifpur.[13][14]

Hastinapur Sanctuary

Hastinapur Sanctuary is one of the prominent wildlife projects in India. It was constituted in the year 1986. The sanctuary extends over a wide area of Meerut, Bijnore, Hapur and Jyotiba Phule Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. The Hastinapur Sanctuary is a sprawling forest occupying the area of 2073 km2. Vijaypal Baghel, an environmental activist is fighting against destruction of Sanctuary since 2001.[15][16]

Festivals and fairs

Various cultural and religious fairs are held here round the year, like Akshaya Tritiya, Das Lakshana, Kartik mela, Holi mela, Durga Puja and many other programs are organised by NGOs and the tourism department round the year.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hastinapur.