Parasnath railway station

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 1365 m is the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand.

Etymology
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. According to Jain belief, twenty of the tirthankaras got moksha from Shikharji.

History
The Grand Chord was opened in 1906.

Further extension
There are plans from the Railway ministry to connect Parasnath with New Giridih via Madhuban, for the convenience of the Jain pilgrims visiting Shikharji. construction of which was sanctioned and the project included in the Union Budget 2018-19 at a cost of inr 9028600000 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.

Electrification
The Gomoh–Koderma sector was electrified in 1961–62.

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

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

The southern approach is from Isri Bazaar or Nimiaghat, to the top. It is motorable for about 2 km, the rest being a climb of 8 km.

The northern approach is a 13 km route from Madhuban on the Dumri-Giridih road. Madhuban is about 40 km from Giridih and about 10 km 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 to the summit, a major part of which is motorable.

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.