Kundalpur and Bade Baba

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  WHAT IT IS: A Digambara Jain pilgrimage in Damoh District of Madhya Pradesh. It is known for the seated image of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, which devotees call Bade Baba, "the great elder." The site is also remembered as the place of liberation of Shridhar Kevali.
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  WHY VISIT: Devotees come for darshan of Bade Baba, for quiet reflection on the first Tirthankara's teaching of renunciation, and to recite the Bhaktamara Stotra. Many pilgrims say the place brings them calm and strength in difficulty.
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  WHEN TO VISIT: October to March is mild and pleasant. A fair is held each year in March, soon after Holi, and lasts about two weeks. Rishabhanatha's Moksha Kalyanak falls on Magha Krishna Chaturdashi, and Mahavir Jayanti is also observed here.
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  WHERE: Kundalpur, about 35 to 37 km northeast of Damoh town, in Damoh District, Madhya Pradesh. Damoh is the nearest railway station. The nearest major airport is Jabalpur, about 140 km away.
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  HOW (VIDHI AND RULES):
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  Dress: For abhisheka and puja, men wear clean, unstitched white cloth such as dhoti and dupatta. Women wear modest dress. Leather items are not allowed in the temples, and shoes are left outside.
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  Route: Bathe first, then bow at the Bade Baba temple and walk around the sanctum clockwise three times. After that, visit the other temples on the hill and by the lake.
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  Offerings: Offer Ashtadravya, the eight traditional substances of Jain puja: water, sandalwood, rice, flowers, naivedya, lamp, incense and fruit. Recite the Navkar Mantra as you do so.

Kundalpur stands among the hills of Damoh District, beside the Vardhaman Sagar lake. In Digambara tradition it is revered as the place where Shridhar Kevali attained liberation. He is remembered as the last of the Kevalis, the omniscient teachers, in the Jain tradition.

At the heart of the tirtha is the large seated image of Rishabhanatha. It is about 15 feet high and sits on a pedestal of about 3 feet. The image is carved in the lotus posture, and it is flanked by images of Parshvanatha of similar size. Visitors often describe its calm face as a picture of Vitaragata, the state of freedom from attachment and aversion.

Early survey writers did not agree on whom the image showed. One thought it was Neminatha in 1878, and another believed in 1884 that it was Mahavira. Today the temple's tradition and its worshippers identify it as Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara.

Local tradition tells that a devotee was guided in a dream to the place where the image would be installed. The story is passed down as a pious legend of how Bade Baba came to be worshipped here. It is not found in a scripture, and devotees tell it with reverence.

A new, taller temple to house Bade Baba began construction in 1997 under the inspiration of Acharya Vidyasagar, the respected Digambara monk, and the image was moved into it in January 2006. The completed temple was consecrated in a grand Panchakalyanaka Pratishtha Mahotsav, a multi-day consecration festival reenacting the five auspicious events of a Tirthankara's life, held from 16 to 23 February 2022, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims for a gajarath, a ceremonial elephant-drawn chariot procession, and the consecration of thousands of images. Acharya Vidyasagar was born in 1946 and passed away in 2024 after observing Sallekhana, the Jain vow of a peaceful and voluntary end of life.

Those early hill and lakeside counts (about 20 and about 30) come from an older survey; the present number of temples is often given as about 58, reflecting growth since then and a long list of smaller shrines. Pilgrims are advised to check with the local trust for current figures and timings.

Kundalpur has been a place of worship for the Digambara community for many generations.

Acharya Vidyasagar (1946 to 2024) is remembered for his austere life and for inspiring many service projects, including cow shelters, handloom work, and girls' schools. He also wrote the Hindi epic poem Mukamati. His life was rooted in the Jain vows of Ahimsa and Aparigraha.

Pilgrims of all ages come here, many on foot. The place is also visited by scholars who study the Digambara tradition and its history in central India.

A separate place with a similar name, Kundalpur near Nalanda in Bihar, is traditionally associated with the birth of Mahavira. It is not the same as this Kundalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

Devotees at Kundalpur often recite the opening verse of the Bhaktamara Stotra, attributed to Acharya Manatunga. The hymn begins in praise of the first Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha, called Yugadi, the Lord of the beginning of the age.

Bhaktāmara-praṇata-mauli-maṇi-prabhāṇām-

udyotakaṁ dalita-pāpa-tamo-vitānam ।

Samyak-praṇamya jina-pāda-yugaṁ yugādā-

vālambanaṁ bhava-jale patatāṁ janānām ॥

Meaning: "I bow fully at the two feet of the Jina, who is the support of the first age. His feet brighten the jewels in the crowns of bowing gods, they scatter the darkness of sin, and they are the refuge for people sinking in the waters of worldly life."