| Season | Opens | Darshan | Closes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter and summer (climbing season, roughly Kartik Purnima in Nov to onset of monsoon) | Approx 6:00 AM | Best in early morning, approx 5:00 AM to 9:00 AM, and evening 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM | Approx 6:00 PM (hill fully cleared by dusk) | Open |
| Monsoon Chaturmas (roughly late June to Kartik Purnima, Nov) | Closed | Pilgrim climb suspended for the four monsoon months | Closed | Closed |
The single rule that shapes a Palitana day is that the summit cannot be occupied after dark. Unlike most Indian temples that run a night aarti, Shatrunjaya empties at dusk: the idols receive their final rites, the doors close, and everyone including the pujaris walks down. That is why a Palitana visit is planned backwards from sunset. Serious climbers set out from Taleti between roughly 5:00 and 7:00 AM, both to beat the heat on the exposed stone and to bank enough daylight for the descent.
Season matters more here than at a plains temple because the whole tirth switches off for Chaturmas. From roughly late June the climb is suspended through the monsoon and reopens on Kartik Purnima, so a July or August trip means the hill is shut and only the town-level shrines are active. Within the open season, winter mornings are cool enough to climb comfortably; summer forces an even earlier start.
Do not confuse the base-town Shri Adinath temple, which keeps longer hours often quoted as about 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with the summit Adishwar tirth on the hill. The longer window belongs to the temple at ground level, not to the sacred summit, whose hours track daylight.
← Back to the full Palitana darshan guideCompiled from public sources including Wikipedia: Palitana temples · Wikipedia: Palitana railway station · Jainpedia: Mount Satrunjaya · Trawell: Shatrunjaya Hill, Palitana. Timings and seasonal closures change; confirm with the temple trust before travelling.