Bhandasar Jain Temple

Bhandasar Jain Temple in Bikaner happened at the end of an exhausting, though highly satisfying day. I had spent the entire morning in the delightful Junagarh Fort, seeing things twice over and photographing very diligently. After that I had surrendered myself to a knowledgeable and honest autorickshaw driver who offered to take me around for rest of the day. In the afternoon I had an angry argument with the caretaker at the Ganga Government Museum about the painting gallery being closed for lack of staff. But I forgot that disappointment in the excitement of nearly getting locked up in a corral with 100 plus camels at the National Research Centre on Camel, easily one of the top tourist spots of the country. And later I had 30 minutes of solitude with the dead at Devi Kund.

My guide cum driver then took me along the narrow lanes of the old city of Bikaner. The facade of Bandasar Jain Temple did not prepare me for the breathtakingly beautiful interior. 

The magnificent ceiling with patterns in gold leaf

  

The marble pillars and stained glass windows

The beautiful murals surrounding you 360 degrees

Commissioned by a wealthy merchant Bhanda Shah in the late 15^th century, this three storey temple is dedicated to Sumathinath, the 5th Jain Tirthankar

The upper floor of the temple has some marble icons and provides a grandstand view of the old Bikaner city.

The foundation of the temple is believed to have been made from dry coconuts and mounds of ghee. The temple is a great attraction with foreign tourists who come in droves. 

At the end of a long and eventful day, Bhandasar came as an icing on the cake.