Art and Culture · Guided learning
The Dilwara temples: five centuries of marble in one place.
Start with the five temples and who built them. Then see how the marble was paid for, hauled up the hill, and carved to an extreme.
At a glance
- 01 · Where
- Five Svetambara Jain temples near Mount Abu, in Sirohi district, Rajasthan.
- 02 · When
- Built between 1031 and 1582, by different patrons.
- 03 · Why famous
- Pure white marble, carved so finely that the stone looks like lacework.
Five marble temples at Mount Abu
What exactly is at Dilwara?
The Dilwara temples are a group of five Svetambara Jain temples. They stand about 2.5 kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement, in Sirohi district, Rajasthan.
Mount Abu is Rajasthan’s only hill station.
The temples are among the five Maha tirths of the Svetambara sect. The others are Shatrunjay, Girnar, Sammed Shikharji and Ashtapad.
They are famous for very pure white marble and for carvings cut into that marble.
The site is managed by the Seth Shri Kalyanji Anandji Pedhi, Sirohi.
QUICK CHECK 1 OF 7 · TRUE OR FALSE
The Dilwara temples are Svetambara Jain temples.
Correct. They rank among the five Maha tirths of the Svetambara sect.
QUICK CHECK 2 OF 7 · TRUE OR FALSE
The Dilwara temples stand in Gujarat.
They are near Mount Abu in Sirohi district, Rajasthan.
Five centuries of construction
Were the temples built at one time?
No. The five temples were built over five centuries, from 1031 to 1582, by different patrons.
The Vimal Vasahi is the earliest, completed by 1031. The Luna Vasahi followed by 1230.
The remaining temples were built at intervals between 1459 and 1582.
That long span is why the group shows changing tastes inside one style.
Who built the oldest temple?
The oldest temple, Vimal Vasahi, was built in 1031 by the minister Vimal Shah.
Vimal Shah served a Solanki king of Gurjaratra, Bhima I.
The building work is said to have taken 14 years.
Think it through. Which temple came second, and who built it?
Show the explanation
The Luna Vasahi, built in 1230. Two Porwad brothers, Vastupala and Tejpala, built it in memory of their late brother Lunig.
QUICK CHECK 3 OF 7 · TRUE OR FALSE
Vimal Vasahi is the oldest of the five temples.
Correct. It was completed in 1031.
QUICK CHECK 4 OF 7 · TRUE OR FALSE
All five Dilwara temples were built in the 11th century.
They span 1031 to 1582. Only Vimal Vasahi belongs to the 11th century.
The money, the labour and the marble
Who paid for these temples?
The patrons were ministers, not kings.
Vimal Shah served the Solanki ruler Bhima I. Vastupala served the Vaghela rulers of Gurjaratra.
Vastupala and his brother Tejpala were Porwad Jain ministers. They built the Luna Vasahi in 1230.
Building temples was part of how these ministers displayed both piety and power.
Did one family build everything?
Each temple had its own patron and its own story.
That is why the group is best read as five projects, not one plan.
The result is a cluster that grew slowly, temple by temple, over five centuries.
How was the land acquired?
Vimal Shah bought the land for 45,360,000 gold coins, according to tradition.
The temple itself is said to have cost 185,300,000 gold coins, an enormous sum in the 11th century.
Kirthidhar then spent 14 years turning that purchased ground into Vimal Vasahi.
How were the carvers paid?
Tradition says the craftsmen were paid by the weight of the marble dust they produced.
That method rewarded fine, slow carving instead of speed.
It explains the density of detail: more dust meant more pay, and more ornament.
Building Vimal Vasahi alone reportedly took about 1,500 skilled artisans and 1,200 labourers. In all, some 2,700 workers were involved.
How did the marble reach the site?
The site has an elephant hall, the Hastishala, which holds ten marble elephants.
Every marble block was cut and carved by hand at the site.
Why do the temples look simple from outside?
The first three temples present plain exteriors. The extraordinary work sits inside.
Walls, ceilings and pillars are covered in carved figures, vines and geometric patterns.
The contrast is deliberate. It keeps the treasure for the worshipper who enters.
Which temple is which?
Students often swap the two famous temples. Keep them apart this way.
Vimal Vasahi is 1031 CE, built by the single minister Vimal Shah.
Luna Vasahi is 1230 CE, built jointly by two brothers, Vastupala and Tejpala.
QUICK CHECK 5 OF 7 · TRUE OR FALSE
Vimal Vasahi is dated 1031 CE and Luna Vasahi 1230 CE.
Correct. Keeping those two dates apart answers most questions on this site.
QUICK CHECK 6 OF 7 · TRUE OR FALSE
The Dilwara temples have richly carved exteriors.
The exteriors are plain. The carving is concentrated inside.
Exam practice
What do questions actually ask?
Questions usually ask for a date, a builder or a sect. Match the date to the temple.
The three anchors are 1031 for Vimal Vasahi, 1230 for Luna Vasahi, and 1459 to 1582 for the rest.
Then the sect: these are Svetambara temples.
QUICK CHECK 7 OF 7 · TRUE OR FALSE
The Dilwara temples are Svetambara, not Digambara.
Correct. They belong to the Svetambara tradition.
How did you do?
Five quick checks covered the temples, the dates, the patrons and the marble. Finish with the practice set below.
Answer the 7 quick checks throughout this lesson to see your score.
Put it together in five questions
Sources: Dilwara Temples. Mount Abu.
Question 1 of 1
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