adi anadi kal se dharm sammat rahe bharatavarsh men gaya ki bhumi moksh dham hai. is punya dhara par prakarantar se hi shraddh, pinddan aur tarpan ki nirbadh paranpra rahi hai aur is ghor kaliyug men bhi yahan ki mahima akshunn hai. hajaron barshon ke gaurvshali itihas ki gavah yah bhumi sanpurn bhartiya aur vishva ke deshon men nivasarat hinduon ke lie punyamay tirth hai jahan harek varsh bhadrapad purnima se ashvin amavasya tak ke pandrah dinon men pitripaksh mela lagta hai. magadh kshetra ke is varshik kunbh men sanpurn vishva ke hindu akar gaya-shraddh ke bad hi pitririn se uririn hote hain. yugon-yugon se apni gaurvmyi sabhyata sanskriti ke lie akhil vishva men jayghosh ka paracham lahrata bhartbhumi men hindu dharm ke sath kuch anyanya dharm sanpraday ka avirbhav hua ismen jain dharm ka sarva vishisht sthan hai.
jain paranpra ke anurup jain dharm men kul chaibis maha tirthankar hue jinmen ahinsa, satya astey, aprigrah aur brahmacharya jaise ‘panchmhavrat’ ke udghoshakatrta mahavir svami ka apna alag sthan hai. antim v chaibisven tirthankar ke rup men prakhyat mahavir svami ka jivan v darshan ek aisa jhalkta aina hai jismen bhartiyata ke prayshah krit drishtigat hote hain. mahashraman bhagvan mahavir ka mahaprinirvan jahan hua tha vah sthan pavapuri kahlata hai. vivaran hai ki isi sthal men antim samavasharan ke bad mahavir svami bahattar varsh ki avastha men sharir chor parmmoksh ko prapt ho gaye. bhartiya itihas men iski sarvamanya tithi 468 i. pubtayi jati hai par itihasvidon ka ek varg ise 526 i. purva bhi svikar karta hai.
sthan bhraman, darshan v jain agam shastron ke adhyayan anushilan se gyat hota hai ki bihar kshetra ke jain tirth yatha rajgrih, vaishali, kundlpur, chaikhandi, laduar, baso kund, gunavan ji adi ke madhya pavapuri ki mahatta yugane-yugon se kayam hai jo nalanda v rajgir ke sath milakar ‘‘svarnim paryatan trikon’ banata hai. pavapuri rashtriya rajmarg par avasthit pavapuri mor se do kimi. andar hai jo nalanda se 21 kimirajgir se 30 kimi. aur bihar ki rajdhani patna se 62 kimi. duri par avasthit hai. yah jankari ki bat hai ki mahavir svami ji ke nirvan tithi ke bad se hi ‘vir nirvan sanvat’ praranbh hota hai jiska jain samaj men vishesh mahatva hai. aitihasik sakshyon se jankari milti hai ki bhagvan mahavir dharm prachar ke kram men nirvan sthiti ka bodh hote hajaron sahyogiyon ke sath rajgrih se ‘pava’ ae. purva kal men is kshetra ka nam appapuri (apapuri) tha. yahan akar unhonne lok kalyanarth pravachan die, yah sthan samavasharan kahlata hai.
fir do kimi. pahle hi akar jahan pran tyag kie aj vahin ‘jal mandir’ bana hai. vivaran hai ki bhagvan mahavir ka antim sanskar ek bare kamal sarovar ke bich kiya gaya. aise yahan ke mahatma yah bhi kahte hain ki mrityu ke bad mahavir ji ka sharir karpur ki bhanti kantimay ho hava men vilin ho gaya. chahe jo bhi ho par yah purnataya satya hai ki mahavir ji ka jivnant yahin hua. jain agam shastra men iska nam naukhud-sarovar milta hai. prachya kal men lagabhag pachas ekar bhu-bhag men vistrit is talab men lal, nila v safed kamal pushp khile the aur aj bhi kamal pushp v rang-birangi paddhatiyane se yah talab shringarit hai. pas men hi park, dadabari aur shvetambar v diganbar mandir darshaniya hanai. sanpurn desh men anutha v vialag is mandir tak jane ke lie lal pashan khand ke pahunch pul banae gae hain jiske praranbhik v antim chor par alankrit kaksh bana hua hai. mandir purvabhimukh hai jiske andar ke tin kakshon men thik samne baba mahavir ji, baen taraf gautam svami v dahine sudharma svami ka charan vandan sthan hai.
shanti, sadhna v tapashcharya ke is sthal men shvet sangamaramar pashan se bani kritiyan bhramnkariyon ko sukhad ahsas dilati hain. mandir men charane konon par v bich men alankrit shikhar bane hain. yah mandir tin dvar yukt hai. yahan puja path ka dayitva nibhane vale paras upadhyay batate hain ki aise to yahan salon bhar dur desh ke log ate rahte hain par dipavli ki rat ‘nirvan mahotsava’ par yahan ki raunkta dekhte banti hai. pavapuri ka pratham akarshak parav jalmandir ke bad yahan purani basti men virajman ‘ganv mandir’ dekhe jane ka vidhan hai. iski upri manjil ke chat par ki gai nakkashi v chitrakari ke sath mahavir svami ka prabhavotpadak vigrah darshakon ka man prasann kar deta hai. pavapuri jal mandir se do ki.miduri par samavasharan mandir dekha ja sakta hai.
yah vahi sthan hai jahan maha shraman mahavir ke antim sandesh ne jan-jan ko tript kiya tha. shvet v akarshak sangamaramar khandon se nirmit yah sthan nirman kala ka utkrisht namuna hai jahan madhya bhag men unche path pith par mahavir ji ki murti charon dishaon men char lagi hai aur inhen dekhakar aisa lagta hai jaise ab prabhu bol uthenge. is mandir ke andar nirman karya jari hai. yahan puja vastra pahan kar hi andar (garbhagrih men) ane ka vidhan hai. jis prakar tathagat ke jivan men pipal per ka mahatvapurn sthan raha hai thik vaise hi mahavir svami ke sath bharat ke rashtriya vriksh ashok ka jurav hai yahi karan hai ki samavasharan mandir men sangamaramar patthar par bana ashok vriksh v uski lata kunjon ka sundar chitran hua hai. dhyatavya hai ki jaintirth ‘pavapuri’ ke rup men chanpaner ka bhi nam ata hai jo kabhi gujrat pradesh ki rajdhani ke rup men charchit rahi.
isi nagar men pavagarh parvat hai jo barodra nagar se pachas kimi. duri par avasthit hai. samprati nae jamane men pavapuri men vikas ki kiran to ai hai par yahan yojnabaddh tarike se vikasatmak karya karaya jana avashyak pratit hota hai. mukhya marg se andar sarak par bhi tvarit dhyan diya jana chahie. bihar rajya paryatn-vikas nigam ki basen bhi yahan niyam se ati hain to desh ke kisi bhi bhag se ‘gaya’ ya ‘patna’ hote nalanda-rajgir ke raste yahan ana sahaj hai.
yahan ane vale yahan ki tasviren, kitab, mala, mahavir svami ki murti v charan chihn lena nahin bhulte. kuch-kuch to shraddhavash yahan ki mitti tak le akar apne pujan grih men rakha karte hain. kul milakar desh ke jain tirth yatha sammed shikhar (pasharvanath), shravan belgola, udygiri -khandgiri, tankpur, girnar, palitana (shatranutray), rishbhdev tirth adi ke madhya pavapuri ek sammanit sthan hai jahan ke darshana-bhraman se hi puratan yug ki smriti sahaj men jivant ho jati hai.