The Dilwara Jain Temples

Workers carving these temples were paid in gold, weighed against the marble dust they scraped off. This article covers the Dilwara Jain Temples at Mount Abu, their five shrines, and their builders.

Five Temples, Five Centuries

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1031

Vimal Vasahi

Built by minister Vimal Shah

1230

Luna Vasahi

Built by brothers Vastupala-Tejpala

1316-1432

Pittalhar

Named for its large brass image

1458-59

Parshvanatha

Built by merchant Sangvi Mandlik

1582

Mahavir Swami

The youngest of the five temples

The long arc: Five separate patrons, across five and a half centuries, kept adding to Dilwara. No single ruler or dynasty built it in one go.

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Timeline

• 1031: Vimal Vasahi, the oldest of the five temples, is completed. Minister Vimal Shah builds it, dedicated to Rishabhanatha.
• 1230: Luna Vasahi is completed. Brothers Vastupala and Tejpala, ministers of the Vaghela dynasty, build it in memory of their late brother Luna.
• 1316-1432: Pittalhar is built. Its name comes from a large brass (pittal) image of Rishabhanatha inside.
• 1458-59: The Parshvanatha temple is built by the merchant Sangvi Mandlik.
• 1582: Mahavir Swami, the youngest of the five temples, is completed.

Must Know

• The Dilwara Jain Temples are a group of five white marble temples at Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
• They were built over five centuries, from 1031 to 1582, by different patrons.
• The oldest, Vimal Vasahi, was built in 1031 by the minister Vimal Shah.
• The most celebrated, Luna Vasahi, was built in 1230 by the brothers Vastupala and Tejpala.
• The temples are famous for extraordinarily intricate marble carving, especially on their ceilings and pillars.

Good to Know

• Vastupala and Tejpala served as ministers to the Vaghela rulers of Gujarat. They built temples, stepwells, and rest houses across western India.
• Marble for the temples was hauled up to Mount Abu by elephant, from quarries near Ambaji.
• By tradition, carvers were paid in gold, weighed against the marble dust their own chiseling produced. This rewarded the finest, most delicate work.
• Building Vimal Vasahi alone reportedly took about 1,500 skilled artisans and 1,200 laborers, working for 14 years.
• All five temples deliberately have plain, unadorned exteriors. This reflects Jain ideals of simplicity, saving all ornamentation for the interior.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. The Dilwara Jain Temples are located at which hill site in Rajasthan?

Mount Abu

Pushkar

Ranakpur

Jaisalmer

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Great to Know

• Plain exteriors hiding lavish interiors is not an accident. It mirrors a Jain emphasis on inner discipline over outward display, carried straight into architecture.
• Paying carvers by weight of marble dust is a striking incentive design. It directly rewards removing more material more finely, not just working faster.
• Five different patrons, across five centuries, all chose the same site and material. This suggests Mount Abu itself, not any one patron, became the enduring draw for Jain temple-building.
• Vastupala and Tejpala’s broader career went beyond temples, into stepwells and rest houses. This shows medieval ministers often used personal wealth for public infrastructure, not just religious patronage.