Author: jambudweep

Bikaner The desert city of Bikaner was founded, with the valuable help of Jaina families, in 1488, at a time when in north India Indo-Islamic art had firmly established itself. The best known and best preserved four Jaina temples situated at the eastern outskirts of the city are important examples of this period. It is...

Ladnun A few day's sojourn in the Rajasthani town of Ladnun (pro- nounced Labrong), situated half- way between Jaipur and Bikaner (or Ajmer and Bikaner) and also accessible from Jodhpur by direct bus, can be recommended with- out reservation. It offers, apart from some noteworthy temples and the Terapanth Vishva Bharati Instintion founded by Acharya...

Ajmer Ajmer's main attraction is for the Jainas the prominently situated Nasiayan Digambara Temple, or rather the two-storied Svarana Nagara Hall behind the temple, better known as the Mu- seum. Both the temple and the museum were built and are still owned by the Sony family of Ajmer. The temple, dedicated to Rishabha or Adinatha...

Sanganer The township of Sanganer ten kilometres south of Jaipur (take a bus near the Jaipur Ajmer Gate), is of great interest to students of Jaina art. In the local Shvetambara temple it is the painted interior that attracts one's attention; whereas the Digambara Sanghiji Mandir (above and left) abounds in exuberant carvings in marble...

Rajasthan Of all the Indian States and Union Territories, Rajasthan has the highest percentage of Jainas to its total population, namely 1.82 per cent, followed by Maharashtra with 1.50 per cent (see appendix). In Jaipur, the biggest city in Rajasthan, there are, one is told, about three hundred Jaina temples, both Digambara and Shvetambara. Most...

Hastinapur Hastinapur, the legendary capital of the Mahabharata epic outside of which the great battle between the Pandavas and the Kurus is thought to have been fought Delhi and Hastinapur Ganges, on whose western bank this famous city once stood, has in the course of many centuries found a new bed some distance to the...

Delhi's Atma Vallabh Sanskriti Mandir North of Delhi, at 20th km Karnal Road - being the first stretch of Highway No.1 from Delhi to Amritsar - there stands, on the left of the road, the probably best-built Jaina temple of the 20th century. The foundation was laid in 1979. Resorting to the ancient art of...

Delhi And Hastinapur With the help of the above map, showing the Chandni Chowk quarter of Delhi should be able to trace their way to some of Delhi's eighty or visitors to Delhi do not see any of them. Prior to the first sackings of the most devastating raid was that by Timur the Mongolian...

Pavagiri (U.N) Un, a small township in Madhya Pradesh and to Jaina pilgrims better known as Pavagiri, can be comfortably visited from Barwani by taking a morning bus bound for Khargaone and returning in the afternoon. The pilgrims' des- tination is the temple locally called Gwaleswar situated on a hill at walking distance from the...

Chulagiri  The most sacred and highest peak (altitude 641 m) of Chalagiri, also called Bhawangaja, is crowned by a compact temple (above) in which every available space along the inner walls is oc- cupied by Jina images, free-standing and in high relief. Hard- ly a day passes without family groups of pilgrims, after pay- ing...