Pata, Sacred Hanging

According to Jaina tradition, places associated with tirthankara's birth, enlightenment, and nirvana are sacred and therefore worthy of pilgrimage. Ideally all Jainas conduct such pilgrimages from time to time but if, for any reason, a person could not visit a place of pilgrimage, he or she went to a nearby temple where painted panels of sacred pilgrim centres were displayed. The panel depicts Mount Shatrunjaya, the sacred place of pilgrimage of the Shwetambara Jains.

This elaborate but idealized depiction of the Mount Shatrunjaya is less of a location map and more of representation of the sacred geography of the place. The main spots emphasized in the visual depiction include the hill-top temples dedicated to Adinatha or Rishabhnatha, the first tirthankara, the various routes followed by the pilgrims to circumambulate the hill, the river Shetrunji, and the other sacred spots such as Panch Pandavni Gufa, Rayan tree shrine, or Angarsha Pir.
Such panels are displayed, for worship and such a darshan of the pata brings to the devotee the same religious merit as actual pilgrimage.