Sonagiri (Jain temple hill)
Seventy seven white Jain shikharas on a bare Bundelkhand hill
Best time to visit Sonagiri (Jain temple hill)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, shoulder season
- Aug, shoulder season
- Sep, shoulder season
- Oct, peak season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: October to February
- Shoulder: March and July to September, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to June
Planning a specific month? JanuaryFebruaryOctoberNovemberDecember
Sonagiri (Jain temple hill) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is the best window: cold clear mornings, white shikharas against hard blue sky, and a barefoot climb that is easy on the feet.
Summer March to May Shoulder
By April the black rock underfoot is too hot to walk barefoot after 9 am and Bundelkhand pushes past 45 C through May.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
Jul-Sep the hill greens up and mist sits between the temples at dawn; the steps get slick, so climb before the day's rain.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct-Nov is quiet and warm, 300 steps in twenty minutes, and Datia's seven storey Bir Singh palace is 15 km up the road.
What Sonagiri (Jain temple hill) is actually like
Digambar monks, dharamshala rooms at the base and one simple bhojanalaya; the hill empties completely after sunset.
Getting to Sonagiri (Jain temple hill)
Sonagiri halt on the Jhansi to Gwalior line, 3 km by auto to the base; Jhansi 60 km, Gwalior 65 km.
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 1 day
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 225 m
- State
- Madhya Pradesh
- Coordinates
- 25.7214, 78.3792
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Sonagiri (Jain temple hill)?
October to February is peak season in Sonagiri (Jain temple hill). March and July to September is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. Oct-Nov is quiet and warm, 300 steps in twenty minutes, and Datia's seven storey Bir Singh palace is 15 km up the road.
How many days do you need in Sonagiri (Jain temple hill)?
1 day is the usual stay. Digambar monks, dharamshala rooms at the base and one simple bhojanalaya; the hill empties completely after sunset.
How do you get to Sonagiri (Jain temple hill)?
Sonagiri halt on the Jhansi to Gwalior line, 3 km by auto to the base; Jhansi 60 km, Gwalior 65 km. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Sonagiri (Jain temple hill) expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Jhansi
Uttar Pradesh
Rani Lakshmibai's granite hill fort above Bundelkhand
50 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly under an hour by road
-
Orchha
Madhya Pradesh
Riverside Bundela heritage town on the backpacker trail
60 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly about 1 h by road
-
Gwalior
Madhya Pradesh
Hilltop fort, Jain rock colossi and Tansen's dhrupad town
80 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Shivpuri (Madhav National Park)
Madhya Pradesh
Scindia marble chhatris beside a crocodile lake and dry forest
110 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Mitaoli, Padavali & Bateshwar
Madhya Pradesh
A hilltop ring of 64 yoginis and Bateshwar's 200 sandstone shrines
110 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Chanderi
Madhya Pradesh
Weavers' town under a Malwa fort, with Jain rock colossi
150 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Kuno National Park (Sesaipura)
Madhya Pradesh
India's cheetah comeback country on the wild Kuno river
160 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Deogarh (Lalitpur)
Uttar Pradesh
Gupta-era Dashavatara temple and 40 Jain shrines over the Betwa
180 km from Sonagiri (Jain temple hill), roughly about 3 h by road
More places to visit in Madhya Pradesh
- Amarkantak Madhya Pradesh
- Bagh Caves (Bagh village) Madhya Pradesh
- Bandhavgarh National Park Madhya Pradesh
- Bawangaja (Barwani) Madhya Pradesh
- Bhimbetka (with Bhojpur) Madhya Pradesh
- Bhopal & Sanchi Madhya Pradesh
- Burhanpur Madhya Pradesh
- Chanderi Madhya Pradesh
- Gandhi Sagar (Chambal) Madhya Pradesh
- Ghughua Fossil Park Madhya Pradesh
- Gwalior Madhya Pradesh
- Hanuwantiya Tapu Madhya Pradesh
- Jabalpur & Bhedaghat (Marble Rocks) Madhya Pradesh
- Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh
- Keoti Falls (Rewa) Madhya Pradesh
- Khajuraho Madhya Pradesh
- Kukru (Khamla Plateau) Madhya Pradesh
- Kuno National Park (Sesaipura) Madhya Pradesh
- Maheshwar Madhya Pradesh
- Mandla Madhya Pradesh
- Mandu Madhya Pradesh
- Mitaoli, Padavali & Bateshwar Madhya Pradesh
- Omkareshwar Madhya Pradesh
- Orchha Madhya Pradesh
- Pachmarhi Madhya Pradesh
- Panna National Park Madhya Pradesh
- Pench National Park (Turia) Madhya Pradesh
- Satpura National Park (Madhai) Madhya Pradesh
- Shivpuri (Madhav National Park) Madhya Pradesh
- Tamia & Patalkot Valley Madhya Pradesh
- Ujjain Madhya Pradesh