SHATRUNJAYA HILL

Allow a day. A tip: if you come from Bhavnagar, take a bus early in the morning, then take a horse-drawn cart (Rs 30) that will take you to the foot of the hill... or jump in an auto-rickshaw. If you stay in Palitana, get up before dawn to climb before the sun rises (the route is not shaded!), especially since the climb is quite tough. Moreover, you will see some of them going up in dholi, a chair hung on the back of a carrier. The latter ask for 1 000 Rs for the transport, but you can negotiate (500 Rs possible). Bring water and food (snacks).

Be careful not to wear any leather article (bag, sandals) if you don't want to hit the Jains, all dressed in white with a mask over their mouth. They worship all forms of life, including animals and insects. Considered as impure, menstruating women are not allowed to enter the temples. Obviously you will be warned at the entrance of the temples, after having climbed the 3 950 steps!

At the beginning of the ascent, we pass near a vast circular temple, on the right of the path. Built in 1950, the Bawan Jinalaya Temple has painted vignettes on the first floor telling the story of Jainism, but their legends are written exclusively in Hindi.

At the top, you can enjoy a dish of dahi (yogurt) that women carry on their heads and sell to visitors. Admire the view and the Gulf of Cambay. You will surely be approached by Jain pilgrims surprised by your presence. And when they learn that you are not a Jain, they tell you that you will be blessed, thanked in some way for this physical effort.

The 863 white marble temples, built in the ^tenth and ^eleventh centuries (for the most part), were partly destroyed by the Muslims in the ^fourteenth century. Their reconstruction dates from the ^16th century. The whole is divided into 11 fortified enclosures (or tuk) which contain each one a principal temple, surrounded by smaller temples. According to the legend, the first Tirthankara would have visited the site several times, then his son built the first religious building there. To the north of the city, the Khartaravasi Tuk protects the prestigious temple of Adinath (or Adishvara). Also remarkable: that of Chaumukh, where one sees a statue with four heads of Adinath (prohibition to photograph).

If you are not afraid of heights, climb on the roof of the pale pink temple. You will have a great view on the whole temples and the surrounding plains.