Kumbharia: The Marble Cluster of Banaskantha

In the Banaskantha district of northern Gujarat, close to the border with Rajasthan and near the pilgrimage centre of Ambaji, lies the lesser-known but exquisite tirtha of Kumbharia, home to a group of five beautiful marble Jain temples dating from the Solanki period. Built in white marble in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, these temples are close in style and quality to the celebrated temples of Dilwara at Mount Abu and of Taranga, and they form one of the finest and most rewarding of the region's Jain sites.

The five temples of Kumbharia are dedicated to various Tirthankaras, including Mahavira, Parshvanatha, Shantinatha, Neminatha and Sambhavanatha, and each is a gem of the marble architecture that flourished in Gujarat and Rajasthan during the Solanki age. The temples are celebrated for the delicacy and richness of their carving, with intricately worked ceilings, pillars and doorways in the fine white marble, and the ornament rivals that of the more famous temples of the region while drawing fewer crowds, giving the visitor the chance to appreciate the beauty in relative tranquillity.

The carved ceilings of the Kumbharia temples are particularly admired, worked into intricate patterns and figures in the manner of the great Solanki-period marble temples, and the overall effect of the group is of luminous white shrines rich in the finest sculptural detail. The temples testify to the wealth and devotion of the community that built them and to the extraordinary skill of the craftsmen who carved the marble, and they belong to the same great tradition that produced the masterpieces of Dilwara and Ranakpur.

The setting of Kumbharia, in the hilly country of northern Gujarat near the Rajasthan border, adds to the appeal of the site, and its proximity to the important Hindu pilgrimage centre of Ambaji means that it can be visited in combination with the wider religious landscape of the region. The relative obscurity of Kumbharia, compared with the famous temples of Mount Abu nearby, is part of its charm, for the traveller who seeks it out is rewarded with beauty of the first order in a peaceful setting.

For the pilgrim and the lover of architecture, Kumbharia offers a group of marble temples of exceptional quality, close kin to the greatest Jain temples of western India, and the experience of encountering them away from the crowds. The temples are maintained as living places of worship by the Shvetambara community, and they draw devotees who come to venerate the images of the Tirthankaras enshrined within.

The antiquity of the temples, reaching back to the Solanki age, and their connection to the great tradition of marble carving that produced the masterpieces of the region, give Kumbharia a particular importance in the history of Jain art in Gujarat. The site is a reminder that the wealth of the tradition's heritage extends far beyond its most famous monuments.

Kumbharia lies in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat and is reached by road, with the nearest major transport connections through the region and the town of Ambaji, and the cities of Palanpur and Ahmedabad serving as larger hubs within reach. The site is easily combined with a visit to Mount Abu, which lies not far across the border in Rajasthan.

The cooler months from October to March are the most comfortable for a visit. For the Jain pilgrim and the connoisseur of temple art, Kumbharia is a hidden treasure, a cluster of exquisite marble temples from the golden age of the tradition in Gujarat, offering beauty of the highest order in a tranquil and lovely setting near the Rajasthan border.