shri mahavir nirvarnn bhumi : pavan tirth pavapuri do. rakesh kumar sinha 'ravi' sampurn bhartiya jain tirthon men bihar rajya ke prachin magadh kshetra men purvi chor par virajman pavitra-punit sthal pavapuri ka vishisht sthan hai. deshi-videshi paryatak aur jain bhakton ke atut akarshan ka kendra pavapuri mahashraman bhagvan mahavir ke nirvan sthali ke rup men vishva vishrut hai. pavapuri vahi sthan hai jahan 72 varsh ki avastha men 14 ven tatha antim jain tirthakar shri varddhaman mahavir ji ki 526 i. purva men jivan gatha samapt hui aur ve param moksh ko prapt hue. jain tatha bauddh sahitya men ise 'nirvan' kaha gaya hai. gyatavya hai ki isi varsh se jainiyon ka 'vir nirvan' sanvat' praranbh hota hai.
aitihasik sakshya se spasht hota hai ki bhagvan mahavir dharma-prachar ke kram men nirvan ki sthiti prapt hone ka abhas hone par hi 72 varsh ki avastha ke pahle charan men 'pava' ae jo rajgrih v nalanda ke marg men avasthit gaya se koi jyada dur nahin tha. isi 'pava' men unhonne lok kalyanarth antim pravachan diya aur ant men vahin pran tyage jahan aj vishal sarovar ke madhya jal mandir bana hai. vishvas kiya jata hai ki bhagvan mahavir ka antim sanskar ek vishal kamal sarovar ke madhya kiya gaya. vaise jain agam shastra men is sarovar ka nam 'naukhud sarovar bhi milta hai. nam ke piche yah tark hai ki naukhud dvara pavitra bhumi ko khodakar mitti apne sthan par le jane ki abhilasha se yahan sarovar barhta gaya aur nam ''naukhud'' par gaya.
prachin kal men karib 50 ekar kshetra men vistrit lal, nile v safed kamal pushp se sushobhit is sarovar ki vartaman shobha bhi dekhte banti hai jahan aj bhi hajaron rang birangi machliyan tairti najar ati hain. mukhay marg se mandir tak jane ke lie pure kshetra men apni tarah ke anuthe lal patthar ka chota pul bana hua hai jiske pravesh dvar par bhavya sinh dvar shobhayman hai. pul ki samapti par bhi ek sundar pravesh dvar hai. mandir ke charon taraf talab men ghat bane hain. talab ke bich men bana yah mandir nirman kaushal men kala ki aishvarya svabhavikta, jivan ki samrsta, alankarita aur adhyatmikta ka sundar mel hai jahan aj bhi log har varsh kartik krishn amavasya arthat dipavli ke din bhagvan mahavir ji ki nirvan tithi par saprivar akar unke shri charnon men asim shraddha v atut astha vyakt karte hain.
jal-mandir ke aspas kuch dharmashala, jalpan-grih adi tatha chote-bare mandir bhi hain. age thora hatakar ganv men ek vishal jain mandir hai jise ganv mandir kaha jata hai. iski upri manjil ki chat nakkashi bejor hai. mandir men bhagvan mahavir ka akarshak v prabhavotpadak vigrah darshaniya hai. pavapuri ka antim parav samavasharan (samoshrn) hai jo dugdh dhaval sangamaramar se bana jain vastukla ka sarvotkrisht navinatam namuna hai. ise bhagvan ke antim pravachan sthal par nirmit bataya jata hai. bhagvan ke jivn-nirman men ashok vriksh ka vishesh yogdan raha. isi karan is mandir ki bahri divar par ashok vriksh ki kalakarita dekhne yogya hai. is mandir parisar men kuch anya mandir v dharmashala bhi vidyaman hain. bihar pradesh ke tripramukh paryatan kendra yatha rajgir, nalanda v pavapuri men vartaman men pavapuri men paryatan ke vikasarth kafi kuch karya kie gaye hain aur ho rahen hain.
yah sarahniya bat hai. tathapi iske vikas ke kitne hi karya shesh hain. vaise to pavapuri men bhramnarthi pure sal ate hain, par ane ka sahi mausam aktubar se march tak hain aur isi dauran desh-videsh ke yatriyon ka yahan nitya agaman hota hai. pavapuri jane ke lie aramdayak vahan bihar sharif, patna, rajgir, nalanda, navada v gaya men maujud rahte hain. yahan dinabhar ghumakar sham ko lauta ja sakta hai. dhyan dene ki bat yah hai ki jharkhand rajya ban jane ke bad sammed shikhar, parsnath v kolhua parvat us rajya men chala gaya. aise men bihar ke lahua, basokund, pogr-pachar, vaishali, rajgir, gunava, pavapuri kshetra jharkhand rajya men chale gaye v brahmayoni adi ke madhya pavapuri jaise mahatvapurn jain tirth sunam hai. aj bhi is sthal ke bhramnarthi yahan ki shanti, ramniyata v vastukla ki khub charcha karte hain aur iski smriti varshon tak mans-patal par jivant bani rahti hai.