Pālītāṇā is a city in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located 50 km southwest of Bhavnagar city and is a major pilgrimage centre ("shashwat tirth") for Jains. It is first of the two vegetarian cities in the world.
*Tirthankar Adishwar Bhagwan (god) is the "Mul-nayak" (main) bhagwan (god) on the top of Palitana and the most holy thing to do in life is to do puja (nine places on body of god). You can take help of any Jain tourist if you do not know the process of Puja. By performing puja you internal soul will get enlightenment.
Palitana is famous for its Bhel with Pomegranate seeds.
Indian desi soda (lemon soda), sugarcane juice
You can buy very good quality Indian handicrafts in Palitana. You can buy popular local snacks like Bhel and marmalade made of rose petals: Gulkand.
There are plenty of dharmashalas where one can choose to stay. However, please ensure to abide by the religious code of conduct, while staying there.
Bhavnagar, the nearest airport, is 51 km from Palitana, but it connects only with Mumbai.
For people coming from other places, a more convenient airport would be Ahmedabad which has an international airport, or Vadodara, which hosts many domestic flights from important cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
The autorickshaws, Chhakadas and rarely horse-carts are available to move around and in the town.
Palitana was founded in 1194 and was ruled by nobles until it joined the newly independent country of India in 1948. No-one is allowed to sleep overnight including the priest, because the temple city was built as an abode for the Gods. The temples have been renovated 16 times over the centuries: the Sixteenth Renovation took place in 1587.
Palitana is the fantastic hilltop Jain temple city, an essential holy pilgrimage destination for this nonviolent community. A city of gleaming marble monuments housing representations of the few human souls that have managed to be liberated from the cycle of life.
