Jain Temples in and near Jaisalmer

Today is Mahavir Jayanti and I am remembering the many Jain Temples I visited during my recent 12-day journey through Rajasthan and Ahmedabad.

Let me begin with Amar Sagar and Lodurva, two places I had never heard before. They were not in my carefully constructed itinerary. My driver Jamal introduced me to them on the way back to Jaisalamer after a disappointing day at Sam dunes.

Amar Sagar is about 5 kms from Jaisalmer, and the temple here is dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar Rishabhdev or Adeshwar.  Built in 1928 by a businessman, Patwa Himmat Ram, the ornate carvings are a delight to the eyes. My camera batteries were dead and but for Jamal helping me to get them recharged at the temple’s tiny front office, these pictures would not have happened. 

 

 

16 kms from Jaisalmer is Lodurva, the ancient capital of Rajputs before Rawal Jaisal shifted his kingdom to Jaisalmer. Today there is practically nothing in Lodurva except for this Jain temple with an achingly beautiful symmetry. It is dedicated to Parsvanath, the 23rd Jain Tirthankar. It also has a large ashtadatu sculpture of the mythical Kalpavriksh.

On reaching home, I felt totally cheated after learning on the Internet that this temple has been restored in late 1970’s. I would not have wasted so much time capturing it in my camera if I had known this before. Would Taj Mahal be even half as exciting if it had been built in your lifetime? It pays to do some homework before you travel. (See Tip #9 in a previous post). I will never again blindly trust the historicity of Jain Temples.

Next day I visited the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer. There is a Jain temple within the fort, but I was too late to enter it; it opens early in the morning and shuts at noon. So had to be content taking pictures of the facade from a cramped angle.

There is more to come on Jain Temples from Bikaner, Jodhpur and Ahmedabad.