The Dilwara Temples of Mount Abu

High in the Aravalli range at Mount Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, stand the Dilwara temples, widely regarded as the supreme achievement of Jain marble craftsmanship. From the outside the temples are almost austere, their plain walls giving little hint of what lies within. Step through the doorways, however, and the interiors erupt into an astonishing density of carving so fine that the marble seems to have been worked like ivory or lace, translucent in places where the stone was ground down to a wafer thinness.

There are five main temples in the Dilwara group, of which two are supreme. The Vimal Vasahi, dedicated to Adinatha, the first Tirthankara, was built in 1031 by Vimal Shah, a minister of the Solanki rulers of Gujarat. Its central hall is roofed by a great domed ceiling carved into concentric rings of dancers, musicians, elephants and lotus petals, culminating in a pendant that hangs from the centre like a frozen chandelier. Around the sanctuary run cells, each with a seated Tirthankara, and the corridors are supported by richly ornamented pillars.

The Luna Vasahi, dedicated to Neminatha, the twenty-second Tirthankara, was built in 1230 by the brothers Vastupala and Tejpala, ministers to the Vaghela dynasty, in memory of their family. Its carving is if anything even more delicate, with the famous central dome regarded as one of the finest works of decorative sculpture in India. The lotus pendant at its centre, the rings of celestial figures, and the intricately worked derani-jethani gumaj are objects of wonder to visitors and scholars alike.

The remaining temples, including those dedicated to Parshvanatha, Adinatha (the Pittalhar temple with its great brass image) and Mahavira, complete the ensemble. Together they represent several centuries of continuous Jain patronage, funded by the immense wealth of merchant families who chose to spend their fortunes on works of enduring devotion rather than personal display.

The marble was quarried in the plains and hauled up the mountain by elephant and by hand, an undertaking of extraordinary cost and labour, and the carvers are said to have been paid by the weight of the marble dust they removed, an arrangement that encouraged them to carve ever more finely. Whether or not the tale is literally true, it captures the spirit of the place, where no surface was left plain and the whole building was conceived as an offering.

Mount Abu itself is a cool green refuge above the desert plains, and the Dilwara temples sit a few kilometres from the town centre near Nakki Lake. Visitors should note that photography is generally prohibited inside the temples, and worshippers and tourists alike are asked to dress modestly and to remove leather items before entering. The temples are living places of worship, and Jain pilgrims come here in a steady stream throughout the year.

Mount Abu is reached from the railway station at Abu Road, some 27 kilometres away, with onward connections by road, and the town is well linked to Udaipur, Ahmedabad and the wider region. The pleasant climate makes it a year-round destination, though the winter months are especially agreeable, and no visit to Rajasthan's Jain heritage is complete without standing beneath the impossible ceilings of Dilwara.