Parasnath railway station

Parasnath
Indian Railways station
Parasnath railway station
General information
Location	Isri, Giridih, Jharkhand India
Coordinates	23°59′16″N 86°02′15″E / 23.9879°N 86.0375°E / 23.9879; 86.0375 ok
Elevation	332 metres (1,089 ft)
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	East Central Railway
Line(s)	Asansol–Gaya section of Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line and Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line
Platforms	5
Construction
Structure type	Standard on ground station
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Other information
Status	Functioning
Station code	PNME
Division(s)	Dhanbad
History
Opened	1906
Electrified	1961–62
Previous names	East Indian Railway
Location Parasnath railway station Location in Jharkhand

v t e Dhanbad–Koderma line
Legend
km to Asansol–Gaya section of the Grand Chord to Tilaiya (under construction) 56 Koderma to Hazaribagh & Barkakana to Giridih & Madhupur 8 Hirodih 16 Samatanr 21 Jadudih 25 Parsabad Barakar River 36 Chaube 47 Hazaribagh Road 57 Chichaki 65 Chaudhuribandh to New Giridih (proposed) 74 Parasnath Parasnath Hill 1350 m 1476 yd NH 2 Grand Trunk Road 82 Nimiaghat 92 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Gomoh to Barkakana and Hatia 101 Matari 106 Nichitpur to Katrasgarh ( Jharia Coalfield rail network ) 112 Tetulmari 117 Bhuli halt to Jharia ( Jharia Coalfield rail network ) 121 Dhanbad to Asansol–Gaya section of the Grand Chord km
Sources: Google maps Indian Railway Time Table (Indiarailinfo) Hatia-Bardhaman Passenger 53062 Gomoh-Barkakana Passenger 461EC

Parasnath railway station, station code PNME, is on the Asansol–Gaya section of the Grand Chord and serves the town of Isri in Giridih district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The Parasnath Hill or Shikharji, located nearby, with a height of 1,365 m (4,478 ft) is the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand.

The word Parasnath comes from the 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism, Parshva. Jains refer to the Parasnath Hill as Shikharji, and it is one of the two most prominent Jain pilgrimage centers, the other being Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat.^[1] According to Jain belief, twenty of the tirthankaras got moksha from Shikharji.

The Grand Chord was opened in 1906.^[2]

v t e Madhupur–Giridih–Koderma line
Legend
km to Asansol 138 Madhupur to Jasidih 132 Sugapahari 130 Sugapahari Halt 125 Jagadishpur 121 Krishna Ballabh Sahay Halt 111 0 Maheshmunda 11 Giridih 16 CPC Siding Giridih 104 0 New Giridih Dhanbad–New Giridih line (planned) Dhirabar River 12 Koimara Barakar River 25 Fatehpur 32 Tundi 45 Maharajganj Khudia River 59 Govindpur to Asansol 70 Pradhankhanta to Dhanbad Usri River 96 0 Salaia Parasnath–New Giridih line (planned) 7 Lakhiatanr 14 Kumhartola Barakar River 24 Madhuban 31 Chainpur Halt to Netaji SC Bose Gomoh 38 Parasnath to Koderma 93 Jitpur 86 Kawar 79 Jorasankh Halt 72 Jamua 62 Duriatanr Halt 55 Rema 49 Dhanwar 41 Rakesh Bagh Halt 33 Nawadih 28 Nawal Sahi Halt 20 Maheshpur Halt 10 Koderma Town to Tilaiya (under constr.) 0 Koderma Asansol–Gaya section Koderma–Hazaribagh– Barkakana–Ranchi line km

There are plans from the Railway ministry to connect Parasnath with New Giridih via Madhuban, for the convenience of the Jain pilgrims visiting Shikharji.^[3] construction of which was sanctioned and the project included in the Union Budget 2018-19 at a cost of ₹902.86 crore (US$110 million) on a 50:50 cost sharing basis between the Government of Jharkhand and Indian Railways. The foundation stone for construction was laid in 2019. The 49-km long railway line will have two crossing stations and a couple of halts. During the financial year 2022–23, Indian Railways had allotted ₹50 Crores for the above project for early starting of the project. In a land acquisition application submitted to DLAO/Giridih by DyCE/Con/HZME office, ₹78.27 Crores were demanded for Raiyati land of 26 villages and payment for land acquisition is yet awaited for deposition of fund from Government of Jharkhand.^[4]

The Gomoh–Koderma sector was electrified in 1961–62.^[5]

It is a holy place to visit with innumerable temples, shrines, and meditation halls amid natural scenery and wildlife.^[1]

There are two recognized routes to Parasnath Hill. The summit of Parasnath Hill can be reached either from the southern or the northern side.^[1]

The southern approach is from Isri Bazaar or Nimiaghat, to the top. It is motorable for about 2 km (1.2 mi), the rest being a climb of 8 km (5.0 mi).^[1]

The northern approach is a 13 km (8.1 mi) route from Madhuban on the Dumri-Giridih road. Madhuban is about 40 km (25 mi) from Giridih and about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Parasnath Rail Station/ Isri Bazaar/ Dumri, all on Grand Trunk Road (NH 2). Buses ply along this route from Dumri to Giridih and stop at Madhuban village. Hired cars or taxis are available at Isri Bazar, just outside the rail station. There are several Jain temples at Madhuban. There is a metalled trek route of 9 km (5.6 mi) to the summit, a major part of which is motorable.^[1]

Both the Shwetambaras and Digambaras have established Dharamshalas or Ashrams here to accommodate the pilgrims to this the first most holy place for travelers from all over the world. The main hill belongs to the Digambara.

• 
  Railway station platform
• 
  Railway station platform
• 
  Jain temples on Shikharji or Parasnath Hills

• Shikharji
• Parasnath
• Isri
• Giridih railway station
• New Giridih railway station
• Giridih district

External videos
Poorva Express passes Parasnath Hill
Bhubaneswar Rajdhani passes through Parasnath railway station

• Trains passing through Parasnath Station
• Parasnath Hills travel guide from Wikivoyage

Preceding station	Indian Railways			Following station
Nimiaghat towards ?		East Central Railway zone Asansol–Gaya section		Choudhurybandh towards ?