Muktagiri is a pilgrimage centre on the borders of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra state. It comes under Bhainsdehi Tehsil of Betul district in Madhya Pradesh. It is also known as ‘Mendhagiri’. It is situated on the Paratwada-Baitool roadway. Muktagiri is situated 7 km away from Kharpi village. Its elevation is 61m.
There is a story behind the etymology of the word Mukthagiri. It is said that on the occasion of some Samavshran of Sheethalnath who was the 10th Tirthankar visited the place, there was a shower of pearls. Pearls are also called “Mothi” or “Muktha” and hence the name Mukthagiri
It is the scene of some 52 temples surrounding a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall is generally visible when there is enough rainfall. June to September is the best months to visit. The 10th temple is the most famous and is known as Bhagwan Sheetalnath temple .It is the chief temple and inside it there are ancient caves. Landslides occur inside the caves, generally during the night time. A lot of honey bees have built their nests inside the caves. The main temples to visit are the first, the 10th, the 26th and the 40th.
The Medhagiri temple is the one of the oldest among this group of the temples. It is said to have been built by the King Ali Shripal. There is a cave temple which has three doors, each individually having the idol of Lord Arihant on them. The length and height of the temple is almost the same i.e 4.95m there is also a hall for circumambulation. On the walls of the temple beautiful idols of the 72 Teerthankaras have been carved. The temple was built in the 10th century AD.
Another important temple is the 26th temple which contains a 1.2m tall statue of Lord Parshvanath. The idol is black in colour and seven serpent hoods surmount the idol .On both sides of the walls with there are elephants with the sphere above the idol forehead.
Another noteworthy temple is a 40th temple which is situated on the top of the mountain. There are magnificent carvings on its walls. Thus these three main temples with their idols are quite ancient and the object of much devotion and worship by those who visit these shrines.
Source:
http://jinvani.com/index.php/2014/03/28/muktagiri/