Shrimad Rajchandra (9 November 1867 – 9 April 1901), also known as Param Krupalu Dev, was a Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar, and reformer from India.

He performed Avadhāna, a memory retention and recollection test that gained him popularity, but he later discouraged it in favour of his spiritual pursuits.

Shrimad Rajchandra was born on 9 November 1867 (Kartika Purnima, Vikram Samvat 1924), in Vavaniya, a port near Morbi (now in Gujarat, India).

Gandhi, Rajchandra stated that the great souls like the Tirthankars have revealed knowledge of a thousand times deeper import than what the Vedas contain.

In an 1890 reply to a question from Padamshibhai, his friend in Bhuleshwar, Bombay, he described the incident:[9][3][10]"When I was seven years old, an elderly man named Amichand, well-built, stout and sturdy, a neighbor in my village, suddenly died of a snake bite.

A train of thoughts started on the nature of the death and as a result I could recollect my previous lives.This incident played a pivotal role in his perception of the world.

[A][2][3] Avadhāna is a difficult test of attention and recollection in which a person attends multiple objects and activities at a time.

He performed 52 Avadhāna in Botad in a private meeting with his friend Harilal Shivalal Sheth which included playing Chopat game with three players; playing cards with three players; playing chess; keeping count of the sound of a small gong; mentally computing arithmetic sums involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (4); keeping count of the movement of beads along a thread; solving eight new problems; composing verses on eight diverse topics selected at the time and in the specific metre chosen by various members of the audience (16); rearranging 400 words of various languages spoken in random order including Greek, English, Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic, Latin, Urdu, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Maru, Jadeji, in the right order of subject, predicate (16); teaching a student; contemplating various figures of speech (2); all at one time.

[3][13] He performed śatāvadhāna (100 Avadhāna) at Sir Framji Cowasji Institute in Bombay on 22 January 1887, which gained him praise and publicity.

He was awarded gold medals by institutes and public for his performances as well as title of 'Sakshat Saraswati' (Incarnation of the Goddess of Knowledge).

Rajchandra believed that the publicity gained by such Avadhānas may become an obstacle in spiritual pursuits, so he gradually discouraged the performances and stopped it completely by age of 20.

[15] In 1887 (Maha Sud 12, VS 1944), Rajchandra married Jhabakben, daughter of Popatlal, the elder brother of Revashankar Jagjivandas Mehta, a Zaveri merchant family.

In His letter (Patrank 133) describing His state at the time, Shrimad wrote “Day and night, reflection upon the supreme reality alone prevails, that alone is the food, that alone is the sleep, that alone is the bed, that alone is the dream, that alone is the fear, that alone is the pleasure, that alone is the possession, that alone is the walking, that alone is the sitting.

Gandhi noted his impression of Shrimad Rajchandra in his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, calling him his "guide and helper" and his "refuge in moments of spiritual crisis".

He spent three months in Idar where he instructed seven monks in religious discourses sitting on a stone, pudhvi śila.

It was a small book of fifty pages in which he gave instructions to cultivate 12 sentiments to lead the life of non-attachment.

In Shurvir Smarana (1885), Rajchandra described the brave warriors of the past and compared them with their descendants who are not able to free India from British dominance.

[3] In Atma Siddhi, a Gujarati short verse poem, he set forths six fundamental truths on soul which are also known as satapada (six steps).

He lays emphasis on right perception (samyaktva), personal efforts and a true teacher's guidance in the path to self-realisation.

[24] His several poems are popular including "Apurva Avsar Evo Kyare Aavshe..", "Mool Marg Sambhlo Jinno Re..", "Bina Nayan Pavey Nahi..", "Hey Prabhu!

Shu Kahu..", "Yam Niyam Sanjam Aap Kiyo..", "Ichche Chhe Je Jogijan...,"Bahu Punya Kera Punjthi..." and "Hey Prabhu!

[25] Rajchandra wrote 51 quotes on Samyati Dharma (the religion of monk) as described in Dasha Vaikalika Siddhanta (VS 1945).

393, 394 and 395 printed in "Shrimad Rajchandra Vachanamrut"), he commented on one of the couplets of sixth out of the eight perspective, Ath Yogdrashtini Sajjhaya composed by Yashovijaya.

Such temples often house his pictures and images based on photographs taken in a studio in various meditation postures just a month before his death.

[2] Shrimad Rajchandra's teachings have been popular in the Jain diaspora communities; mostly in East Africa, the United Kingdom and North America.

[2] A special cover featuring him and Rabindranath Tagore was published by the India Post on occasion of Gandhi Jayanti in 2002.

[35] In December 2024, Grand Mahamastakabhishek of the world's tallest idol of Shrimad Rajchandraji was performed by India's Home Minister Amit Shah.

[39][40] An animated biographical Gujarati film Shrimad Rajchandra directed by Bhairav Kothari was released in 2021.

[41] On 4 August, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated various projects in Dharampur including Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and women and childcare center which were named after him.