Tag: Jainism- A Non Voilent Religion

Idar Idar, Digambara Jaina Temple raised on rugged ground high above the town. Idar is a pilgrim's centre for both Shvetambaras and Digambaras unlike Kumbharia which is exclusively Shvetambara. Its importance as a holy place (tirtha) is confined to being the birth-place of some outstanding acharyas and laymen of distinction. It attracts comparably few visitors,...

Kumbharia The five temples at Kumbharia, three kilometres beyond the popular holy Hindu site of Ambaji and the second destination of our grand tour, are a delight to the pilgrim with a camera. A written permit to photograph is freely obtainable from the manager of the temples. The first impression that awaits the visitor to...

Achalagadh  Achalagadh, group of Jaina temples perched on a north-eastern ridge of Mount Abu. To behold the Jaina temples of Achalagadh - seven kilometres north-east of Dilwara, but still on Mount Abu - is an absorbing sight. Pilgrims who take advantage of taking a room in one of the two dharmashalas should not miss to...

Holy Abu It was holy Abu, first visited in December 1968, and the sight of the giant statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola early in 1969 that awakened in me the desire to return some day in order to see and learn more about a religious force capable of inspiring the human mind to envisage such...

Grand Tour of five Sacred Jaina Sites This chapter is both a logical sequence of the previous one as well as an itinerary for travellers with limited time at their disposal, be they overseas Jainas on business or simply tourists. Those who follow the suggested tour will be amazed at what there is to be...

Osian The Mahavira temple of Osian (also Osia or Osyan), located on the western edge of the town and a long way from the Hindu temple-hill, has found entry into about all the mayor books on Indian art and architecture. The same cannot be said, regrettably. of other, equally splendid Jaina temples. The easy access...

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer, the desert city. is about three and a quarter centuries older than Bikaner. Even more ancient is Lodurva, seventeen kilometres north-west of Jaisalmer. Once a royal city. Lodurva was overrun by Muslim forces and totally destroyed in 1152. The present temple, dedicated to Parshvanatha, is of a later date. About halfway to Lodurva,...

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...