Mirpur Jain Temple is situated in Mirpur, a fortified village in the

Sirohi district Sirohi District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The city of Sirohi is the district headquarters. As of 2011 it is the third least populous district of Rajasthan (out of 33), after Jaisalmer and Pratapgarh. History In 1948 ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

, India. The village has four

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

temples.

History

Mirpur Jain Temple was built in the 9th century AD, during the reign of the

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

. The Mirpur temple is generally thought to be the oldest marble monument in Rajasthan. It is devoted to the 23rd Jain

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a ' ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the '' dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable pass ...

, Pārśva. The temple was destroyed by

Mahmud Begada Sultan Mahmud Begada or Mahmud Shah I (), was the most prominent Sultan of the Gujarat Sultanate. Raised to the throne at young age, he successfully captured Pavagadh and Junagadh forts in battles which gave him his name ''Begada''. He establish ...

in the 13th century, and was rebuilt and renovated in the 15th century. These days only the main temple with its mandapa is standing, high on its pedestal with carved pillars and engraved

parikrama Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indian religions, Indic religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only ...

representing every aspect of Indian mythology. The temple has inscriptions which date back to 1162 AD in the temple mentioning history of Hamirgarh. There are seven inscription dating back from 12th to 15th century and latest inscription dating backing to 19th century.

Main temple

Mirpur Jain Temple was built in the 9th century AD. Mirpur Jain temple is architecturally most important building near

Sirohi Sirohi is a city, located in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Sirohi ruled by Deora Chauhan Rajput rul ...

. This temple is also mentioned in the ‘World And Encyclopedia of Art’. The temple is famous for its art and exquisite carvings. The fine carvings of the temple is comparable to the ones in Dilwara temples. The domes, pillars and borders are the features unique to this temple. The murals on the ceiling of temple show unique motifs which are not visible in other Jain temples. The kalamandap is standing on its high pedestrian with carved pillars and engraved

representing every walk of life in Indian Mythology. The indescribable artistry of this temple is famous throughout the world and is considered by many to be unmatched. The ancient art of this temple served as a model for the later Dilwara and Ranakpur temples. This temple belongs to Shvetambara sect of Jainism. The Moolnayak of the temple is a 90 cm tall white colored idol of Lord Parshvanatha called Bhidbhanjan Parshwanathji. This sculpture illustrates Parshwanath's triumph over Kamatha's upsargas, in considerable detail. In this sculpture,

Dharanendra Dharanendra is the ''Yaksha'' (attendant deity) of Parshvanatha, twenty-third ''Tirthankara'' in Jainism. He enjoys an independent religious life and is very popular amongst Jains. According to the Jain tradition, when Lord Parshvanatha was a ...

raises a hood of 5 cobras to provide shelter for Lord Parshwanath from the relentless storm set into motion by Kamatha. The temple walls and pillars are rich with carvings of floral and geometric designs. The idols in temple are re-anointed in an annual ceremony. The temple is managed b
Seth Shri Kalyanji Paramanandji Pedhi, Sirohi
and has a dharmshala, bhojnalya and garden.

Other Temples

* Bhagvan Suparshwanathji Temple: This temple is dedicated to Suparshvanatha. The temple is built in Nagara style. The temple is famous for beautiful glass work of sanctum. This temple belongs to Digamber sect. of Jainism. * Bhagvan Mahavir Swami Temple: This temple is dedicated to

Mahavir Swami Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6 ...

. This temple is built in Nagara style. The temple is famous for paintings on dome. * Bhagvan Shantinath Temple: This is dedicated to

Shantinatha Shantinatha was the sixteenth Jain tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). Shantinatha was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aiira at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His birth date is the thirteenth day of the Jyest Krishna month of the ...

. The temple is rich in architecture with an amalgamation of

Indo-Persian Indo-Persian culture refers to a cultural synthesis present in the Indian subcontinent. It is characterised by the absorption or integration of Persian aspects into the various cultures of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The earliest introductio ...

architecture. It temple has been built in nagara style with decorative pillars and sanctum.

Photo gallery

File:Shree Bhidbhanjan Parshwanathji - Mirpur.png, Main idol of Parshwanath File:Mirpur Jain Temple Elaborate Wall.jpg, The Splendid and elaborate wall of Mirpur Jain Temple File:Mirpur Temple Shikhar.jpg, Shikhar of the Mirpur Jain Temple File:Mirpur Jain Temple.jpg, Carving on a wall File:Pillars at the Mirpur Jain Temple.jpg, Pillars at the Mirpur Jain Temple File:Siddhachakra at the Mirpur Jain Temple.jpg, Art Inside Dome at Mirpur Jain Temple File:Padmavati mata.jpg, Padmavati Mata with her vahan as snake File:Bhagvan Indra.jpg, A statue of Indra on the walls File:Kausagiya Murti 2 Mirpur.png, Idol of Bhagvan Mahavir Swami Temple dating back 13th century File:Art at the Entrance door to the main Shrine.jpg, Art at the Entrance door to the main Shrine File:Megrath Bhav of Bhagvan Shantinathji at the Mirpur Jain Temple.jpg, Megrath Bhav of Bhagvan Shantinathji

References

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* * * * * Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts ** ** ** ** {{Jainism topics Tourist attractions in Sirohi district 9th-century Jain temples Jain temples in Rajasthan