Tijara Jain Temple

This Jain temple stands in the small town of Tijara, in the countryside north of Alwar, and is a well-known weekend trip from Delhi or Jaipur. A local Jain merchant founded it in 1956 after an idol of Chandraprabhu, the eighth Tirthankara, was dug up here. More idols were later found nearby, supporting the belief that the spot had once been a dehra, a Jain place of worship. Tijara is now regarded as an atishay kshetra, a site of miracles, and also has older Jain temples, including a Parshvanath and Neminath shrine about 250 years old.

The building, in red sandstone and white marble, mixes Jain and Islamic styles, with carvings of Jain stories and the lives of the Tirthankaras. The white stone image of Chandraprabhu, roughly 15 inches high, is set in a rectangular shrine, and the main hall holds more than 2,000 people. A tall carved manastambha, the column of honour found at most Jain temples, stands in the complex. Meals are served for a small fee, and visitors of every faith are welcome.