Taranga Hill

Brief History

Located 128 km north of Ahmedabad, and only 20 km from Vadnagar, the 3-peaked hill is significant for Buddhists and Jains. While the oldest Jain temple was built in the 12th century, Buddhist monuments dating back to the 4th century on this hill. Reaching the hilltop involves a trek. On reaching you can see small shrines dedicated to Buddhist Goddess, Devi Taranamata. Weathered terracotta images of Buddha and four carved images of Dhyani Buddha on a stone plate can be seen in cave formations. The Taranga Jain Temple is further up from here. This 12th century derasar is one of the best-preserved temples in Gujarat. There is a five-metre tall sculpture of the 2nd Jain Tirthankara, Shri Ajitnath, who represents inner stillness. The Svetambara complex consists of 14 temples, but there are 5 other Digambara shrines as well.

The earliest archaeological activity in 1938 reported that this was historically a Buddhist site from the 4th-5th century. According to Jain researchers, this place was known as Tarvur, Taravar Nagar, Tarangiri or Tarangarh. The holy book, ‘Kumarpal Pratibodh’ by Acharya Shri Somprabhsurishwar records the establishment of the temple of Shashanadhishthatri Shri Siddhadayika Devi by the then ruler King Vatsrai during the 6th century. Another legend states that the local Buddhist King Veni Vatsaraja and Jain monk Khaputacharya built a temple for goddess Tara together.