There are about 4.2 million followers of this religion in India and about 6 to 12 million worldwide. Jain temples are called Derasar or Mandir. Temples are usually made of marble.
1. Lal Mandir
Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir is the oldest and most famous Jain temple in Delhi. Built in 1526, the temple has undergone several renovations and was expanded in the early 19th century. The temple is built of red sandstone.
2. Sonagiri
Sonagiri is a small hill town in central India. Tourists and pilgrims have to climb 300 steps barefoot to reach the top. There are many white temples around the hill.
3. Temples at Khajuraho
Khajuraho is one of the famous tourist villages in India. There are many Hindu and Jain temples with unique architecture. The temples were built and added to over a period of 200 years from 950 to 1150. During the Chandella period, Khajuraho was the center of a large Jain community. Jains lived in the eastern part of the city.
4. Gomateshwara Temple
Gomateshwara was the second son of Adinatha, the first of the 24 Tirthankaras (first human beings to be enlightened). The statue of Gomateshwara is 17.38 m tall and is one of the largest monolithic statues in the world. It was carved around 983 AD by Chavundaraya, a minister of the Ganga Kingdom. Every 12 years, the Mahamastakabhisheka festival is held, during which the statue is bathed in milk, curd, ghee, saffron, and gold coins.
5. Dilwara Temples
Located near Mount Abu, the Dilwara Temple is world famous for its marble tiles. Marble is used everywhere: ceilings, doors, columns. There are five Jain temples here, each with its own unique architecture and named after the village where it was built. All of these temples were built during the Chalukya dynasty, between the 11th and 13th centuries.
6. Palitana
The city of Palitana is a center of Jain pilgrimage. The Palitana temples are considered the holiest places of the Jain religion. There are several hundred temples at the Shatrunjaya peak built of marble. They were built over a period of 900 years, from the 11th century onwards by the Jains.
7. Ranakpur Temple
The temple is supported by 1,444 marble pillars, carved with great detail. Each pillar is carved differently and no two are alike. Although there is some debate about when it was built, it is generally believed to have been built between the late 14th and mid-15th centuries.
