"Ponnur Giri Tirth"
The place of meditation and austerity (sādhana–tapo-bhūmi) of Shrimad Bhagavat Kundkundacharya is the “Neelgiri Parvat - Ponnur Hill.” There are 325 steps to climb the hill, and at the very top the foot impressions (charan-pādukā) of Shri Kundkundacharya Dev are established. To the south of the charan-pādukā are two natural caves. Five kilometers to the west of the mountain is the village of Ponnur, where there is an ancient temple of Bhagwan Parshvanath. At the foot of the hill there is a large Digambar Jinmandir that houses many beautiful metal jinmūrtis.
Pujya Gurudevshree first travelled here in V.S. 2015 with a group of sādharmis. After that, many other mumukshus visited and benefited from this pilgrimage to Ponnur Tirth. The mumukshus deeply wished that in this tapo-bhūmi of Shrimad Bhagavat Kundkundacharya; this place from where he travelled to videha, and the sacred land of the composition of Shri Samaysar and other Paramāgamas, a Jinmandir of Videhinath Shri Simandhar Bhagwan should be built.
If such a temple were to arise on Ponnur Giri Tirth, it would become a bridge between the embodied Videhinath Simandhar Swami, Kundkund Maharaj who travelled to Videh, and living beings arriving from Videh. As a result of these elevated feelings of the mumukshus, on the auspicious day of Posh Sud 10, V.S. 2060, the Shri Simandharswami Digambar Jinmandir was established at the foot of the hill. With the holy hands of Pujya Gurudevshree, the panch-kalyāṇak consecrations and ceremonial vedi-pratishthā of Shri Adinath Swami, Shri Mahavir Swami, Shri Simandhar Swami, and other jinbimbas were performed. Within the temple complex, a svādhyāy hall, library, lodging facilities, dining hall, etc., were also constructed.
In this area, the “Acharya Kundkund Jain Sanskriti Kendra” has been instituted, where palm-leaf manuscripts and handwritten texts are collected and preserved. The organization publishes a Tamil monthly magazine “Arugan Tattvam” and a bimonthly English magazine “Ekkar News,” and also organizes camps, lecture series, etc.
Vikram Samvat 2015.
The first inspiring pilgrimage of Pujya Gurudevshree to Kundkund Prabhu's sacred land of austerity, Ponnur Dham
Around nine o'clock we reached Ponnur. Here there is a very small hill… this is the tapo-bhūmi of Kundkundacharyadev. He meditated here… not only that, from here he travelled to Videh-kṣetra, and here he composed the Paramāgamas. The moment they arrived on this sacred land of Kundkund Prabhu, Gurudev and all mumukshus were filled with joy. This Ponnur Dham is adorned with many champa trees… “Ponnur” means “Golden Hill.” At its summit are the highly auspicious foot impressions of Kundkundacharyadev. With the glory of these sacred feet, Ponnur Dham appears even more radiant than a mountain of gold.
Pujya Gurudev climbed the mountain it takes about ten minutes. Pujya Behenshri Champaben and Pujya Ben Shantaben also climbed the hill and were extremely pleased to behold the view.
On reaching the mountain, Gurudev emotionally beheld this holy region. There were five champa trees. Directly above the place where the foot impressions of Kundkund Prabhu are installed stands a champa tree, from which naturally the champa-flowers fall upon the feet of Kundkund Prabhu-thus these flowers proclaim his universal reverence and glory. With great devotion the group performed the collective pujā of Kundkundacharyadev. After the enthusiastic worship, Gurudev sang the following bhajan with deep devotion:
Eva Kundkund am mandiriye…
Eva aatam aavo am mandiriye…
Jene tapovan tīrthamāṁ jñān lāghyuṁ…
Jene janglamāṁ shāstra rachyuṁ…
Omkar dhvaninuṁ satva sādhyuṁ…
-Eva Kundprabhu am mandiriye.
Jene jīvanmāṁ Jinvar chintavyā…
Jene jīvanmāṁ Jinvar ne dekhyā…
Jene jīvanmāṁ Simandharprabhu dekhyā…
-Eva Kundprabhu am mandiriye.”
Thus, the devotion was performed with deep feeling and reverence.
Hearing such beautiful devotion to Kundkund Prabhu from Gurudev's own lips, Ben Shri and the other devotees felt immense joy. Through this pilgrimage to the sacred abode of Kundkund Prabhu, not only Gurudev but every devotee experienced a profound sense of devotion and inner bliss in their hearts.
After the devotional activities, as a commemorative remembrance of Gurudev's great pilgrimage to this holy abode along with the Sangh, it was decided to construct a mandap at the lotus feet of Kundkund Prabhu, and funds were collected for this purpose. Approximately four thousand rupees were required, of which ₹1,555 was contributed by Shri Jain Swadhyay Mandir, Songadh.
Afterwards, with great joy, Gurudev performed the anointment of his Supreme Guru Kundkund Prabhu's sacred feet. It seemed as though the overflowing devotion within him streamed forth as water for the abhishek! After this, everyone viewed the three small caves and the champa trees and descended the hill. Bahenshri expressed her devotion and amazement throughout the descent. This pilgrimage to Kundkund Prabhu's holy tapo-bhūmi at Ponnur brought immense joy to all devotees-as if they had truly seen Kundkund Prabhu himself.
Salutations to the ever-benevolent Kundkundacharya Bhagwan…
Salutations to Ponnur, the sacred tapo-bhūmi of Kundkund Prabhu…
Salutations to Kahan Gurudev, who enabled this pilgrimage…
After the pilgrimage, felicitation letters were presented to Gurudev at the foothills of Ponnur Mountain. Gurudev was especially pleased by this life-nourishing pilgrimage to the sacred place of Kundkund Prabhu. In place of the earlier announced contribution of ₹1,555 from Jain Swadhyay Mandir, an amount of ₹5,555 was declared.
On this occasion, around one and a half thousand people had come for pilgrimage and for Gurudev’s darshan. The Ponnur Tirth is also very popular among the local people.
While delivering an auspicious discourse at the foothills of Ponnur, Gurudev extolled and glorified the greatness of Kundkund Prabhu.
Akalank Vasati
On the way to Madras, in Kerende, two jinmandirs were visited. One was “Akalank Vasati.” Here Akalankswami had a significant debate with Buddhists and, after winning, meditated at this very spot. A depiction of this incident is engraved on the temple wall. His samādhi is also here. When Gurudev arrived, about a thousand people gathered and welcomed him with a Tamil felicitation letter. Gurudev then praised Akalank Swami, Kundkund Swami, and other saints. He received congratulatory letters afterward. Seeing the place associated with the great Jain philosopher Akalankswami filled Gurudev and the devotees with joy.
Vikram Samvat 2020
The second inspiring pilgrimage of Pujya Gurudevshree to Kundkund Prabhu's Ponnur Dham
Traveling from Bengaluru via Ranipet, we arrived at Vandevas. … Upon reaching the sacred abode of Acharya Kundkund, an unexpectedly profound devotion arose today.
Vandevas is a large village near the Ponur hill. There, upon seeing the Khadgāsana idol of Bhagwan Simandhar in the Jinālaya, the mind was filled with joy. The next morning (26 January 1964), on the day of Maha Sud 12-13, we set out for the journey to Ponnur. The Ponnur hill is about five miles from Vandevas. Singing devotional hymns to Acharya Kundkund with heartfelt joy, we reached the hill with Gurudev in ten minutes.
Ah! The beauty of this sacred place-where Acharya Kundkund caused the Shrut-Ganga to flow and undertook the Videha Yatra-is second to none. Beneath a Champa tree, on a dark stone slab, the Charan Paduka (footprints) of Kundkundadev, about two feet long, have been engraved. Above it, a small shrine has been built, and in front of it stands a large mandap.
Kahan Guru, with deep reverence, accepted the sacred feet of the Supreme Guru… touched them with devotion, and thereafter the worship was performed.
Many of the surrounding villages are populated by Jain communities. From there, additional pilgrims had gathered on the hill, and they were delighted to witness the devotion of the pilgrims toward Acharya Kundkund.
After the pūjā, Gurudev sang a devotional hymn in praise of Acharya Kundkund-“Man lāgyũ re Kundkunddevmā̃.” While singing this bhajan, Gurudev was filled with great joy.
Later, the revered Behnshri Ben offered beautiful devotional singing through various bhajans. After the stavan, “Guru Kahan tāra charaṇmā̃ fari fari karũ hũ vandanā,” another stavan was sung in which the devotee questions the Ponnurgiri mountain: “O mountain! What was my Kundkund Prabhu like? Please narrate his message to me…” - and it felt as though the mountain itself was responding.
Thus, devotion enriched with poetic compositions was offered. The atmosphere resonated with loud chants of victory. Even the rocks and trees of the mountain seemed to overflow with pilgrims.
In this way, the pilgrimage to Acharya Kundkund's Ponnur Dham was undertaken with Gurudev in great joy and bliss.
After the pilgrimage, an elephant welcomed Gurudev at the foothills along with thousands of devotees. A large crowd had gathered at the foothills. About three miles from the Ponnur hill lies the village of Ponnur. There, darshan was performed at two Jain temples. It is said that Acharya Kundkund himself used to come to this temple for darshan. Performing darshan there brought immense joy.
In addition to this, darshan was also performed at a Jain temple in “Saptamangal,” near Vandevas. Close to Ponnur, right in front of it, is a mountain known as Dhavalagiri. It is believed that Veersen Swami composed the Dhavala Tika on that Dhavalagiri mountain. Hearing this filled Gurudev with great happiness.
The afternoon discourse was held in the high school premises. Gurudev spoke in Hindi, and at intervals of every 15 minutes, it was translated into Tamil. During the discourse, Gurudev glorified Acharya Kundkund extensively before an assembly of three to four thousand people, saying:
“Ah! By having the true darshan of Bhagwan Simandhar in this Bharat Kshetra, he established a new eminence of the Shrut from this very place.”
After the discourse, it was announced that on the following day, a ceremony for the Abhishek of Acharya Kundkund's sacred footprints would be held at Ponnur, and for this purpose nearly thirty thousand rupees had been collected.
The next day (Maha Shukla 14), in the morning, they again set out on a pilgrimage to Ponnur Dham. “Ah! It felt as though Acharya Kundkund himself had come to give real darshan, and the pilgrims were going to behold him”-such was the enthusiasm among the devotees that day.
After the darshan and other rituals, as the Abhishek ceremony commenced, Gurudev said:
“Look, everyone listen silently… Today a grand Abhishek of Acharya Kundkund is being performed. He had gone to the Videha Kshetra, heard the discourse of Bhagwan Simandhar, and upon returning here, composed the scriptures. Today is Maha Shukla 14. Today is an unprecedented day. From here, he undertook gagan-vihar (celestial travel through the sky) and went to the Lord. He has showered immense grace upon us. Today, his Abhishek and worship is being performed.”
Saying this, Gurudev himself began the pūjā with great enthusiasm. A special feature of today's worship was that Gurudev alone recited the pūjā text, while all the pilgrims listened with deep devotion. Behnshri Ben recited the Swāhā mantra, and thousands of pilgrims together offered the arghya.
While performing the pūjā, Gurudev repeatedly glorified Acharya Kundkund, Ponnur, and the pilgrimage in many ways. He said that his own village, “Songadh,” and Ponnur both carry the meaning of “a fort of gold.” Just as gold is never damaged or corrupted, in the same way the principles of the supreme path (paramārth) never change.
After the eightfold worship performed with devotion, during the Jayamālā, Gurudev would recite one line and the devotees would respond with the next. After the pūjā, Gurudev also recited the Abhishek text. Then, when Kahan Guru stood holding a golden kalash in his hands to wash the sacred feet of his Supreme Guru, the Ponnur hill resounded with the victory chants of thousands of devotees… With profound dedication, Kahan Guru washed the feet of his Guru.
This scene of the Abhishek of Acharya Kundkund's sacred feet being performed by Kahanguru was witnessed by nearly ten thousand eyes. Many devotees danced in devotion, and hundreds of other devotees also performed the Abhishek. Today, Gurudev was filled with even deeper emotions. Here, it was evident how the unimaginable greatness of Acharya Kundkund had filled his heart. With many exclamations of wonder, he proclaimed that greatness, offering devotional salutations such as: “O Kundkund, the one who walks the path of auspiciousness, millions of salutations to you!”
Recalling the immense joy of today's pilgrimage and Abhishek, he then wrote while seated at Ponnur:
“Salutations again and again to Bhagwan Shri Kundkund Acharya, who had the darshan of Shri Simandhar Bhagwan.”
Later, Behnshri Ben also led devotional singing arising from the waves of the heart. She too experienced indescribable joy while journeying with Gurudev that day. Beside the sacred footprints are small caves, which everyone visited along with Gurudev.
At Ponnur hill itself, the special “Kundkund Abhinandan Ank” of Atmadharm, containing a colourful photograph of the Ponnur pilgrimage, was presented into Gurudev's hands. Many felicitatory letters (in Tamil and other languages) were also offered.
Thus, the pilgrimage to Ponnur Dham was completed with Gurudev in great joy and celebration.
After the pilgrimage, at the foothills, thousands of Tamil brothers honoured Gurudev. The afternoon discourse was also extraordinary. After the discourse, Shastriji delivered a welcome address for Gurudev and said, “Earlier, there was a magnet here, and today that magnet has drawn this Swamiji to this place. That magnet is Acharya Kundkund! Where is Ponnur and where is Saurashtra! Yet it is the Samayasār that binds them together in a single thread.”
He expressed many beautiful thoughts in his speech. Several congratulatory letters were also read out. Thereafter, with great festivity, the people of the Tamil land took Gurudev in a grand procession through the village, honouring him wholeheartedly along with a vast gathering of thousands.
It was as if this representative of Acharya Kundkund had come carrying his very message-everyone was filled with enthusiasm.
Jai ho Simandhar-bhakt Prabhu Kundkund ka!
Jai ho Ponnur ke pavitra sant ka!
Jai ho Samaysar-datār ka!
Jai ho Kundprabhu ke bhakt Guru Kahan ka!
Jai ho Ponnur ke pavitra tīrth-dham ka!
Vikram Samvat 2034.
The third exciting pilgrimage by the revered Gurudevshri to the sacred land of penance, Ponnur Dham, of Acharya Kundkund.
On the morning of 13 March 1978, along with the revered Gurudev, about 800 to 1,000 pilgrims undertook the pilgrimage to Ponnurgiri and received the purifying benefit of darshan and Abhishek of the sacred footprints of the great Acharya Bhagwan Shri Kundkundacharyadev-the illustrious upholder of Dharma who, while embodied, journeyed to the Mahavideh Kshetra.
That sacred land of penance, from where-as a response to the longing for the darshan of Bhagwan Shri Simandhar Swami-he journeyed to the Mahavideh Kshetra, returned, and composed the supreme scriptures (Paramagams), offered a rare and auspicious opportunity for pilgrimage. Availing this opportunity, the hearts of all devotees were filled with immense joy and celebration.
After having darshan of the sacred footprints and performing the collective pūjā, the revered Gurudevshri led the devotional hymn “Dhanya Munishwar Atam Hit Mein”- a Muni Bhāvanā-based bhakti.
Thereafter, the revered Behnshri Ben led the devotional song “Aaje Guruji Māra Ponnur Padhāryā Re.” This bhakti had been specially composed by her for the Ponnur pilgrimage itself.
Remembering Bhagwan Shri Kundkundacharyadev through deep emotion-filled words, the revered Gurudevshri said:
“Kundkundacharya used to meditate here. When the feeling of separation from the Lord arose intensely in his heart, he journeyed from here to the Mahavideh Kshetra. There, in the Samavasaran, he heard the divine discourse of the Lord, and upon returning here, he composed the supreme scriptures such as Shri Samayasār. It feels as though Kundkundacharya was truly departing from this very place to the Videh Kshetra. Now, only the marks of his sacred feet remain here.”
Listening to such words, the devotees felt profoundly blessed. Seeing the multitude of devotees traveling to Ponnur Giri along with the revered Gurudevshri-ah!-it felt as though the very path to liberation was walking upon the footprints of Gurudev.
After the devotional worship of the Lord, the Abhishek of the sacred footprints of Acharya Kundkundadev was performed by the lotus hands of the revered Gurudevshri-who is a supreme devotee of Shri Kundkundacharya and one who had truly attained darshan of Shri Kundkundadev in the divine assembly of Bhagwan Shri Simandhar Swami.