Atmaramji Shrine

The Atmaramji shrine is located in central Gujranwala at the junction of the Grand Trunk Road and Parao Road. Constructed from the tail end of the 19th century into the early 20th, it memorializes Acharya Vijayanand Suri (1837-96, also known as Vijayanand Suri), a renowned Jain monk, whose ashes were interred here. Vijayanand Suri gained fame as the first monk in several centuries to earn the title Acharya, a rare honor among Jain devotees. Built by Jain followers of Vijayanand Suri, the design of the memorial is heavily indebted to Sikh Samadhi (memorial tombs) which were built for the same purpose. Indeed, the design of the central octagonal chamber and its dome are almost identical to the Mahan Singh Samadhi located 800 meters to the north. Such similarities gave rise to spurious beliefs that the monument was actually the Samadhi of Ranjit Singhs grandfather, though this seems unlikely for a number of reasons.