Kanch Mandir, Indore

Kanch Mandir, the Temple of Glass, is a Jain temple at Itwaria Bazar in Indore, built by the trader and industrialist Sir Seth Hukumchand Jain, with work starting around 1903. It stands next to his mansion, Shish Mahal, and from outside looks like a medieval mansion with a canopied balcony and a shikhara.

Inside, glass panels and mosaics cover every surface, from floor and columns to walls and ceilings. Craftsmen came from Jaipur and some from Iran, keeping to old Jain decorative styles but working in multicoloured glass and mirror. In the main sanctum, mirrors on either side of the Tirthankara idols reflect them endlessly. Photography inside is generally not allowed. The temple is a focal point for Indore's Jains, hosting the city's collective kshamavani, rice-powder mandalas on Sugandh Dashami and an annual Ratha Yatra on a golden palanquin.