Ministers, merchants and a holy mountain
The setting: in the eleventh century Mount Abu was a sacred mountain within the sphere of the Paramaras of Chandravati, who owed allegiance to the Chaulukya kings of Gujarat.
The Chaulukya capital: Anahilapataka, today's Patan.
The ministers: the Chaulukya court was served by a remarkable class of Jain ministers and generals, wealthy, learned and devout, and Jainism flourished under their patronage.
- Built
- About 1031 to 1582
- Built by
- Jain ministers and merchants
- Open
- Mornings for worship; visitors later, in a limited window
- Allow
- At least ninety minutes
- Best time
- Weekdays, October to March
- Photography
- Not allowed inside
- Getting there
- About 2.5 km from Mount Abu town
- Why build: for Jains, building a temple is among the most meritorious acts of a lifetime, and Abu, already holy to Hindus and Jains alike, was the obvious place.
- Vimal Shah: a minister and commander of the Chaulukya king Bhima I built the first. Tradition says he wanted to atone for the bloodshed of his campaigns.
- Vimal Vasahi: his temple was largely built by 1031.
- Luna Vasahi: two centuries later, the brothers Vastupala and Tejapala, ministers of the Vaghela ruler Viradhavala of Gujarat, built it in 1230 in memory of their brother Luniga.
- Five shrines: further temples followed over three hundred years, the last in 1582, in a single walled compound named after the nearby village of Dilwara.
- Damage and repair: the temples suffered in 1311, when the armies of Alauddin Khalji swept through the region, and two merchants, Bijag and Lalag, repaired them in 1321.
- Restorations: major work followed in the early twentieth century and again between 1950 and 1965.
- Today: a Jain trust administers the temples, which remain fully active places of worship, visited daily by pilgrims from across India.
- More of the story: our journal's Dilwara temples guide.
What a Jain temple is for
One of India's oldest religions: Jainism teaches ahimsa, non-violence towards all living beings, along with truthfulness, non-attachment and self-discipline.
The tirthankaras: it honours twenty-four tirthankaras, the ford-makers, teachers who crossed the river of rebirth and showed others the way.
- First
- Rishabhanatha, also Adinatha
- Twenty-second
- Neminatha
- Twenty-third
- Parshvanatha
- Twenty-fourth
- Mahavira
- One each: every Dilwara temple is dedicated to one of them.
- A model of the cosmos: a Jain temple is a place for contemplation, with the tirthankara's image in the inner sanctum, calm and detached.
- The universe around him: halls and ceilings filled with musicians, dancers, goddesses of knowledge, animals and scenes from sacred stories.
- Plain outside: the bare exteriors are often explained by Jain values of modesty and restraint, and by the wish not to draw the attention of raiders.
- Richness within: all of it is kept for those who enter.
- The wider picture: our page on faith and temples in Rajasthan explains the religions of the state.
The five temples, one by one
- Vimal Vasahi
- Adinatha, by 1031
- Luna Vasahi
- Neminatha, 1230
- Pittalhar
- Adinatha, image of 1468-69
- Parshvanatha
- 1458-59, three storeys
- Mahavir Swami
- 1582, the smallest
Vimal Vasahi, the oldest
Dedicated to: Adinatha, the first tirthankara. Built for Vimal Shah and largely complete by 1031, with an outer hall added in the following century.
The courtyard: the central shrine stands in an open court ringed by a corridor of fifty-nine small cells, called devakulikas, each with its own image and carved ceiling.
- Walk slowly: look up at every cell; no two ceilings are alike.
- The navchowki: in front of the shrine, a hall of nine ceilings carried on ornate pillars.
- The rang mandap: the great hall rises to a central dome ringed by sixteen vidyadevis, the goddesses of knowledge.
- More ceilings: elephants, horses, musicians, dancers and soldiers, and scenes from Jain and Hindu stories.
- The hastishala: near the entrance, an elephant hall added in 1147 to 1149 by Prithvipal, a descendant of Vimal Shah, with marble elephants carrying members of the family.
Luna Vasahi, the finest
Dedicated to: Neminatha, the twenty-second tirthankara, built in 1230 by Vastupala and Tejapala.
Finer still: modelled on Vimal Vasahi, and many visitors think its carving surpasses it.
- The famous ceiling: the central dome of its rang mandap holds a great hanging pendant of marble, like a chandelier or an opening lotus.
- The rings around it: a band of seventy-two seated tirthankaras and, below them, three hundred and sixty small figures of monks.
- Stand beneath it: directly below the pendant, the circles seem to turn.
- Derani and Jethani: two niches named for the wives of the younger and elder brother, said to have been paid for by the brothers' wives.
- The hathishala: an elephant hall with ten marble elephants.
- The Kirti Stambha: outside, a tall black stone pillar erected by Maharana Kumbha of Mewar, the fifteenth-century ruler who also built Kumbhalgarh.
Pittalhar, the brass temple
Built by: Bhima Shah, a minister of Sultan Mahmud Begada of Ahmedabad, as a temple to Adinatha.
- The name: its great image of the tirthankara is cast in five metals, mostly brass, or pital.
- The image: installed in 1468 and 1469 and made, an inscription says, by an artist named Deta.
- The mood: parts of the halls were never finished, which gives it a quieter, more austere feeling than its neighbours.
The Parshvanatha temple
The tallest: three storeys high, built in 1458 and 1459 by Sangvi Mandlik and his family, and dedicated to Parshvanatha, the twenty-third tirthankara.
The image: a chaumukha, facing all four directions.
- Grey stone: unlike the others, much of it is built of grey stone.
- The outer walls: grey sandstone goddesses and attendants that many visitors find more immediately human than the marble interiors.
- Leftover marble: local tradition says the masons used marble left over from the older temples for its finer parts.
The Mahavir Swami temple
The youngest: the smallest of the five, built in 1582 and dedicated to Mahavira, the twenty-fourth tirthankara.
- The paintings: its porch walls carry paintings added in 1764 by artists from Sirohi, the old state of which Abu was part.
- A gentle finish: after the intensity of the marble halls, a colourful place to end.
How marble was made to look like lace
The story may be a legend, but it captures something true. The carving at Dilwara was not cut so much as abraded, the stone removed a whisper at a time until the petals of a lotus or the folds of a dancer's scarf were thin enough to glow.
Roughed out, then rubbed: chisels gave the main forms, then sculptors refined the surfaces by patiently scraping and rubbing them.
The marble: tradition says it came from the Arasur hills, near Ambaji in Gujarat, and was carried up the mountain, a remarkable feat on eleventh-century roads.
- Stone
- White, fine-grained marble
- Source
- Said to be the Arasur hills
- Style
- Maru-Gurjara, or Solanki
- Flourished
- 10th to 13th centuries
- The tradition: the great western Indian style often called Maru-Gurjara, or Solanki after the Chaulukya kings, which flourished across Rajasthan and Gujarat.
- Corbelled domes: built up from concentric rings of stone rather than true arches, each ring carved with a band of figures or ornament.
- Padmashilas: hanging central pendants shaped like lotuses.
- Pillars and brackets: pillars carved from base to capital, and brackets carved as dancing figures.
- Repetition and invention: a ring of dancers repeats around a dome, yet each figure has a slightly different pose.
- Same pattern, new flower: two ceilings follow one design, yet one blossoms into a lotus and the other into a whirl of geometric stars.
- Reading the elements: our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture explains them in more detail.
What to look for, and what most visitors miss
The cells of Vimal Vasahi: most visitors hurry past them to the central hall, but each has its own ceiling, and some of the finest carving is here.
The sixteen goddesses of knowledge: around the main dome of Vimal Vasahi, each with her own attributes. Ask your guide to name a few.
- The Luna Vasahi rings: seventy-two tirthankaras and three hundred and sixty monks around the pendant. Count a section and you begin to see the order behind the richness.
- The family on elephants: in Vimal Vasahi's elephant hall, a portrait of a medieval Jain dynasty of ministers.
- The grey sandstone sculptures: on the outer walls of the Parshvanatha temple, easy to miss after the marble.
- The 1764 paintings: in the porch of the Mahavir Swami temple, a rare survival of Sirohi painting.
- The worshippers: watch how pilgrims bathe and dress in clean unstitched cloth before worship, and how they move between the shrines. Dilwara is not a museum.
A living place of pilgrimage
A pilgrimage: for Jains, a visit to Dilwara is one, and many travel from Gujarat, Mumbai and further afield to worship here.
The morning is theirs: it is reserved for worship.
- Before entering: worshippers bathe and dress in clean, unstitched clothes.
- The daily rituals: washing the images, anointing them with sandalwood and saffron, and offering rice, flowers, fruit and lamps.
- The atmosphere: quiet and focused, with the soft murmur of prayers and the scent of incense and sandalwood in the halls.
- Rest houses and a dining hall: the temple trust keeps them nearby for pilgrims, serving simple Jain vegetarian meals in keeping with the faith's dietary rules.
- Why the rules matter: the temples are cared for daily by the community that built them.
- You are a guest: later in the day you enter that community's most sacred place, and the more you behave like a guest, the warmer your welcome.
The best hour and season
We confirm the hours: visiting hours for non-Jain visitors are limited and occasionally change, so we check them for the week you travel and plan the day around them.
Arrive at the start: within the window, the queue is shortest and the halls calmest at the beginning.
- Best months
- October, November, February, March
- Cold but lovely
- December and January
- Most crowded
- April to June
- Best day
- Any weekday
- Avoid weekends: on weekends and in the Indian holiday seasons the temples can be very busy, with long lines and crowded corridors.
- October and November: after the monsoon, the hills are green and the air clear.
- February and March: days are bright and pleasant.
- December and January: cold but lovely.
- April to June: the busiest holiday season, with the temples at their most crowded.
- Month by month: our best time to visit Mount Abu guide.
How to visit with respect
No photography: phones and cameras are usually deposited at the entrance or left in the car. You will look more closely without them.
No leather: belts, wallets, bags, watch straps and shoes all stay outside. Food, drink and tobacco are not permitted inside.
Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered. Shorts, short skirts and sleeveless tops are not appropriate.
- Photography
- Not allowed inside
- Leave behind
- Leather, food, drink, tobacco
- Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered
- Footwear
- Bare feet, or socks where permitted
- Access
- Steps and uneven floors
- Barefoot on marble: shoes come off at the entrance. In winter the floor is cold, so socks are a kindness to yourself where permitted.
- A custom to know: notices at the entrance ask women not to enter during menstruation, as in many Jain and Hindu temples. We mention it so no one is surprised.
- Quiet please: speak softly, don't touch the carvings or images, and don't step in front of anyone at prayer.
- Accessibility: limited, with steps at the entrance and between some halls, and uneven floors. Our accessible travel guide explains how we plan around this.
- Time: allow at least ninety minutes. Lovers of sculpture could easily spend a whole afternoon.
- Customs elsewhere: our temple etiquette guide covers the rest of Rajasthan.
Why a guide matters here more than anywhere
No photos, no labels: with neither allowed or provided inside, Dilwara is almost impossible to understand on your own.
What a good guide does: identifies the tirthankaras, reads the stories on the ceilings and explains the symbolism of the lotus and the goddesses.
- The finest details first: a guide steers you to them before the crowds arrive.
- Who we work with: guides who know the temples deeply and respect the rules and the worshippers.
- A briefing in advance: a short introduction to Jainism and the history of the temples, so you arrive knowing what to look for.
A Dilwara day, the way we plan it
Early morning, the lake
- First light: walk around Nakki Lake while mist lies on the water and the town is still asleep.
- Before breakfast: climb to Toad Rock for the view over the lake and the hills.
Late morning, preparation
The briefing: sit with your guide after breakfast for a short introduction to Jainism and the five temples.
- Get ready: change into modest clothes, and leave leather and phones in the room.
- Set off: a little before the visiting window opens.
Midday and afternoon, the temples
Enter early: as soon as visitors are admitted, and spend at least ninety minutes inside.
- Where to linger: give most of your time to Vimal Vasahi and Luna Vasahi.
- Afterwards: visit the small temple of Rasiya Balam and Kunwari Kanya behind the compound.
Evening, the ridge
Rest first: back at your hotel.
- Sunset: from a quiet spot on the ridge, or the terrace of a princely house above the lake, with tea or a drink in hand.
- A gentle end: to one of the great days of a Rajasthan journey.
What to pair with Dilwara
- Nakki Lake
- A short drive
- Rasiya Balam temple
- Behind the compound
- Achalgarh
- North of the town
- Ranakpur
- About 3.5 to 4 hours
- Kumbhariya
- Near Ambaji, Gujarat
Nakki Lake
Close by: the lake at the heart of Mount Abu is a short drive away.
- Same day: walk its shore at dawn, before the crowds, and climb to Toad Rock for the view.
- A shared legend: its story links it to a sculptor said to have worked at Dilwara.
The temple of Rasiya Balam and Kunwari Kanya
Where: behind the Dilwara compound, a small temple honours the sculptor Rasiya Balam and the princess he loved.
- The legend: he dug Nakki Lake with his fingernails in a single night to win her hand, and was refused all the same.
- Why go: a charming, slightly melancholy footnote to a visit.
Achalgarh and Guru Shikhar
Achalgarh: north of the town, the ruined fort has its own small Jain temples and the ancient shrine of Achaleshwar Mahadev.
- Guru Shikhar: the highest point in Rajasthan, rising beyond.
- When: together they make a fine morning on your second day.
Ranakpur
- The other great marble temple: about three and a half to four hours away, the fifteenth-century Jain temple of Ranakpur has a forest of more than a thousand carved pillars.
- Two ideas of perfection: Dilwara's intimate richness and Ranakpur's soaring space. Seeing both on one journey shows the difference.
Kumbhariya, across the border
- For serious lovers of Jain art: the marble temples of Kumbhariya, near Ambaji in Gujarat, belong to the same age and tradition as Dilwara.
- Far less visited: and they fit naturally on the road south towards Ahmedabad.
Where to stay near Dilwara
The Palace Hotel, Bikaner House: built as the summer residence of the Maharajas of Bikaner, in wooded grounds near the Dilwara road, and the closest of the princely houses to the temples.
Jaipur House: the former summer palace of the Jaipur royal family, looking down over Nakki Lake from its hill.
- Connaught House: a smaller colonial bungalow with gardens, peaceful and old-world.
- Compare them: our guide to palace stays in Mount Abu.
- The wider choice: our list of luxury hotels in Mount Abu.
Fitting Dilwara into your journey
One night: plan the day around the temples' visiting window, and spend the rest at Nakki Lake and on the ridge at sunset.
Two nights: add Guru Shikhar, Achalgarh and a walk in the sanctuary.
- Plan it: our Mount Abu itinerary and our list of things to do in Mount Abu show how.
- On the map: Abu sits naturally between Udaipur, about three and a half to four hours away, and the cities of Gujarat.
- Into Gujarat: our Mount Abu and Gujarat journey continues south to Ahmedabad and Kutch.
- The great temples: our sacred Rajasthan journey links them, Ranakpur included.
- Sacred places: our page on temples and pilgrim towns introduces those of the state.
