DELWARA JAIN TEMPLES

Delwara is adorned with beautiful Jain Shrines and considered the 'wonder of the world'. They are unique and unparalleled in the field of marble architecture. The high rising hills and the plentiful growth of palm trees almost conceals the view of the temples till one actually reaches the entrance.

In the Temple Complex there are five Jain Swetamber Temples called:

1. Vimal Vasahi
2. Luna Vasahi
3. Pitthalhar
4. Khartar_Vasahi (Parshwanath)
5. Mahaveer Swami

There are various reliefs depicting life-stories of Jain Tirthankars, scenes of gods and goddesses and great men of Jain and Hindu mythology, royal courts, marriage processions, endless music and dance figures, general feelings and habits of that period in decorated sculptures. With none of the designs being repeated, the panels stand as a proof of human ingenuity and creativity.

No description or drawing can convey an adequate expression of the great beauty and delicately carved compositions of human beings and animal effigies of the interior of the temples which need a keen approbation. This is a real 'Tirth' of art and beauty.

Lace work in marble. The temples are the best example of Jain architecture in the world. Delicate and detailed, the work within is a poem in marble. There are five temples, all in marble, but the first two are specially beautiful. Two thousand Sarnavasaian workers toiled 14 years to create this colossal structure for posterity. The artisans were paid according to the weight of the marble they removed from the edifice and as a result the temple is one of the most finely carved marble structures in the world. The Dilwara temples are an early example of the Jain aesthetics in western India. The white marble with which the temple is built was brought from the nearby marble quarries of Ambaji and not Mercana as is popularly believed. The temples are named after the village of Delwara nearby, a corruption of Dewal (temple) Wada (area).
There are five Jain Shwetamber Temples - Vimal Vasahi, Luna Vasahi, Pithalhar, Khartar Vasahi (Parshwanath) and Mahaveer Swami - all of which belong to different centuries. The first two are built wholly of white marble, and have exuberant carvings and ornamentation on the walls, doors, pillars, mandaps, torans and ceilings. Floral designs, lotus pendants, octagonal pendants, reliefs depicting the life of Jain Tirthankars, scenes of gods and goddesses, royal courts, marriage processions, singing and dancing figures are all sculpted with finesse. None of the designs are repeated.
The Delwara temple complex is easy to miss from the outside. There are shacks at the entrance selling knick-knacks and the domes of the complex visible from the outside look cemented and boring. But it's been done with a purpose. During the sacking of Chittor and the conquest of Mewar by Allaudin Khilji, a lot of the Hindu temples in the area, were destroyed. Delwara's boring façade helped it survive, not just onslaughts from Khilji but future marauders.