Jain
Temples
Rikhabdev : Rikhabdev was the first Jain Thirthankar. This place is famous
for the temple dedicated to him. The Vaishnavas claim him to be the eighth incarnation
of Lord Vishnu. The temple belongs to the Svetambara sect of Jains but at the
moment is under the control of the of State Government of Rajasthan. The idol
is better called Kesariyaji drived from the name kesar or saffron which is put
on the forehead of the Lord . The town of Rikhabdev is also called Dhulev by
the name of the Bhil tribal Dhula who once protected the idol. The Bhils are
very loyal to the lord and call it Kalaji. There is no inscription to mark the
antiquity of the idol but is believed to very old and is suppose to be fulfilling
the wishes of its worshippers.
How to reach : It is 42 kms away from Udaipurand
has easy access from here.
Mt. Abu : According to the inscriptions Mt. Abu was originally the seat
of Saivism. Jainism was introduced in 11th century only. The Dilwara temples
here are the most important Jain center of India. The first jain temple Vimala
Vasahi was built in 1032A.D. by Vimala Shah, minister of Bhimadeva-I. Besides
the famous temple at Abu, there are five temples of Neminath at Girnar. The
Vimala Vasahi temple is the earliest
and
most important of the temples here and is dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara,
Adi Nath. The entire temple is carved out of white marble.
The Tejapala
temple resembles the architectural plan of Vimala Vashi temple,(built nearly 200
years earlier),nevertheless stands as the last of the monuments built in the Solanki
style,which came to an end with the occupation of Gujarat by the Muslims towards
the end of 13th century.
The striking feature of the Tejapala temple is
its dome which stands on 8 pillars. The pendant of the dome is a perfect gem;
where it drops from the ceiling it looks like a cluster of half open lotuses.
The other attraction of this temple are the Garbh Griha or the main sanctum and
the Hathikhana or the elephant room where there are ten elaborately carved elephants.
How to reach : It can be reached by train from Delhi and Mumbai
via Ahmedabad.
Jain
Tempels Tour Reservation Form
Copyright
©Kapil
Tours.
All Rights Reserved
