Kumbharia Jain Temples

The Kumbharia Jain temples are a group of five marble temples at Kumbhariya in Banaskantha district, Gujarat, built between 1062 and 1231 under the Chaulukya dynasty, when Kumbharia was a major Jain centre. Tradition speaks of 360 temples here, most lost to what is said to have been volcanic activity, though earthquakes are a likelier cause. Along with the Dilwara, Girnar and Taranga temples, they are regarded as fine examples of Chaulukya architecture.

The five, dedicated to Mahavira (1062), Shantinatha (1082), Parshvanatha (1094), Neminatha (1136) and Sambhavanatha (1231), differ in size and detail, and each stands in a walled courtyard with porched gateways. The Mahavira temple's marble ceilings show the war and duel between Bahubali and Bharata, the life of Mahavira and a multi-tiered Samavasarana. The Shantinatha temple holds a diamond-shaped Ashtapad icon of 1210 with the 24 Tirthankaras on two levels, and the Neminatha temple has ornate pillars and a Nagara-style shikhara.