Palitana temple-Bhavnagar

    Palitana located 51 km south west of Bhavnagar is known for being the largest cluster of Jain temples. There are in total 863 temples from base to the peak of the Shatrunjaya hill, where the Palitana temples are located. The path is climbed through 3950 steps spanning 3.5 km up the Shatrunjaya Hills.
   The construction of temples of Palitana spanned over a period of 900 years and was structured in two phases. From the 11th to12th centuries AD as a part of the resurgence of temple building all over India, the first phase of temple architecture was constructed. The second phase followed later, from the 16th century AD onwards. Muslim invaders destroyed some of the earliest temples built in the 11th century AD, during the 14th and 15th centuries AD. No one person can be attributed for the construction of these magnificent temples rather it was the effort of the wealthy businessmen who were followers of Jainism.