There couldn’t be a better way to start the new year….

Palitana is located in the western Indian state of Gujarat, 51 km south west of Bhavnagar state and famed for its spectacular temple sites, surrounding cities, beautiful beaches (Somnath), and wildlife (Gir Forest).

Being a Jain myself, amongst all the Jain temples, Palitana temples are considered to be the most sacred. Located on Shetrunjaya hills there are 900 temples with over 10,000 statues, exquisitely carved in marble. On this temple no one is allowed to sleep overnight including the priest, because the temple city has been built as an abode for the Gods. The town is considered by many Jains to be more important than the temple covered hills of Bihar, Gwalior, Mt Abu and Girnar.The peak of the mountain is a 3½ km climb of over 3500 steps from the town. Considering the winter months, I started about 15:00 hours and took around 1:45 to climb these steps. All my fatigue suddenly vanished after witnessing what the subtle combination of human enterprise, architectural skills, philanthropy and channelised religious belief can achieve. I have never felt so peaceful on any mountain I have visited past few years.

I tried capturing this amazing beauty along with the Gondal Swaminarayan and Somnath Temple in addition to the stunning sunrise and the sunset near the Somnath.

Oh..I miss those moments so much….wish I could be there every morning…