Kumbhariya Jain Temple, Gujarat
The group of Kumbhariya Jain Temples does not only stand as a historical asset of India, but also depicts a great form of art and culture of ancient India. Kumbhariya Jain Temples is located 24 km away from Abu Road (Rajasthan). Being situated near Ambaji town in Banaskantha of Gujarat, this is a group of 360 Jain temples built in the year of 1032. These temples are the religious worship houses of five Jain tirthankars. And they are – Mahavir, Neminath, Shantinath, Parshvanath and Sambhavnath. The interior of the temples is absolutely awe-inspiring. The walls, floors and pillars are crafted with motifs of various gods and goddesses, musicians, apsaras and horsemen.
It has been said that once the place was full of Jain temples and thousands of Jain families used to live in this area. However, years back, a massive earthquake destroyed the entire area and took away many lives. Out of all the temples only five Jinalayas (temples) could survive. Shri Neminath Bhagvan temple is one of the most prominent ones among them. The awe-inspiring artistic carving on the temple wall is surely one of the main attractions of the temple. Some of the other Jinalayas (temples) are- Mahavir Swami Jinalaya and Parshwanath Bhagwan Jinalaya. There are Dharmashala and Bhojanshala for lodging and feeding facilities respectively, provided to the temple visitors. The other nearest tourist attractions are Someshwar Mahadeva temple and Chamunda Mata temple.
Timings
Kumbhariya Jain Temples open at 06:30 AM to 07:30 PM
Accessibility
The nearest railway stations are Visnagar (38 km away), Mehsana (52 km away) and Unjha (54 km away).