Serene white marble Jain temple in the heart of the old city
- Ashtapad Derasar, Khadia
- Daily, 6am to 12 noon, 5-6pm
A sense of calm and serenity envelops the visitor. The shade of a sacred tree, known locally as the rayan, brings about absolute sense of peace, away from the hustle bustle of the city outside
Footsteps to serenity
As you climb up the steps from the busy street, onto the portico of the temple, a sense of calm and serenity envelops the visitor. The shade of a sacred tree, known locally as the rayan, brings about absolute sense of peace, away from the hustle bustle of the city outside. Built in the Hindi-Jain style with elaborate decorations, dancing figures, animals and floral patterns surround the holy footprints of the Lord Adishvar, kept in a small shrine under the rayan tree.
Shades of marble
There’s a colour code to understanding this temple. 32 status are made of the red marble that came from the original ancient idol of Ratikar Parvat’s idol, the figure of Dadhimukh Parvats was turned into 16 statues and there are four black marble statues that come from Nandishwar island’s Anjangiri Parvat’s figure.
Monk shopping
Just beside the temple there is a Jain shop that sells the five articles that a Jain Svetambar Monk carries.
Nice to know
When the temple was built in 1856 by Sheth Maganlal Karamchand, it cost Rs. 65,000, a big fortune in those days.