Morena · 54 km
A circular eleventh-century temple of 64 yogini shrines on a hilltop — widely said to be the model for the Indian Parliament building.
© Jain cloud · CC BY-SA 3.0Hero photograph by Jain cloud (CC BY-SA 3.0) · source. Remaining gallery slots await licensed imagery.
Tier 3 · Lesser known
Sonagiri Jain Temples
Datia district, Madhya Pradesh
- Recommended
- 4 hrs
- min 2 hrs
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Best season
- Winter
- +1 more
- Typical spend
- ₹400
- per person
- Check-in worth
- 75 pts
- Lesser known
- Crowds
- Rarely crowded
Why go
A hillside of white shikharas against the sky, with almost no visitors, and a rule of silence on the climb that makes it one of the most peaceful places in north India.
Sonagiri is a Digambara Jain siddha kshetra — a place of liberation — and tradition holds that Nanganang Kumar and five and a half crore ascetics attained moksha here. Most of the 77 hilltop temples date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, though the site is far older; the principal temple, number 57, holds an 11 ft image of Chandraprabhu, the eighth Tirthankara. Another 26 temples sit in the village below. Pilgrims climb barefoot, and the hill is kept in silence. The whitewashing is renewed communally every year.
Things to do here
5 things · 4 hr 55 min to do all of them
Sonagiri in a morning
Single day · 4 hr 55 min of planned activity
Base temples and manastambha pillars
40 min
Barefoot climb to the hilltop
45 min
Temple 57 and the principal cluster
45 min
Full circuit of the hilltop temples
1 hr 15 min
Descend; village temple cluster
45 min
Drive on to Datia Palace
45 min
15 km — a seven-storey Bundela palace, also almost empty
Location & geofence
The shaded ring is the check-in geofence — 600 m around the site. Your GPS has to fall inside it for a check-in to count.
25.7000, 78.4000 · Open turn-by-turn in Google Maps
Visitor information
Temples6:00 am – 7:00 pm
Silence observedThroughout the hill
Best time of daySunrise. The stone steps are unwalkable barefoot by midday in summer.
- EntryFree
- Doli (palanquin) up and down₹600
Sonagiri has its own small railway station on the Delhi–Bhopal line, 2 km from the base. Datia is 15 km, Gwalior airport 60 km. Buses from Datia and Gwalior.
Last mile: Autos from Sonagiri station to the hill base are ₹50. Then it is on foot, barefoot.
ParkingAvailable
WashroomsAvailable
FoodNot available
Drinking waterNot available
NetworkPatchy mobile coverage
Nearest ATM12 km
Nearest hospital18 km
PhotographyPermitted outside. No photography of the principal images inside the shrines.
Dress codeLeather is prohibited anywhere on the hill — belts, wallets, watch straps included. Shoes off at the base.
GuidesNone formally. The temple trust office at the base answers questions.
- Police100
- Ambulance108
- MP Tourism helpline1800-233-7777
Accessibility
- WheelchairNo
- Senior friendlyNo
- Child friendlyYes
A barefoot climb of roughly 300 steps. Doli (palanquin) carriers are available at the base.
Reviews
4.7from 190 explorers
Only explorers with a verified check-in here can leave a review.
Preeti Yadav
@niwari_notes · 7 Jun 2026
Monsoon visit. Everything was green and the water was full, but the steps were lethal and I nearly went over twice. Stunning, and I would not bring children.
Tip: Monsoon is the best and the most dangerous time. Proper shoes.
20 found this helpful
Devendra Singh
@fortfinder · 5 Jun 2026
Monsoon visit. Everything was green and the water was full, but the steps were lethal and I nearly went over twice. Stunning, and I would not bring children.
Tip: Monsoon is the best and the most dangerous time. Proper shoes.
8 found this helpful
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