Jain Temples of Kesariaji Near Udaipur in State of Rajastha in India

The State of Rajasthan in India is having many places of pilgrimage for almost all the religions. The pilgrimage places for the Jain religion are also situated at many places in this historical state. One such vital place of pilgrimage for the Jains is Kesariaji. Almost all the Hindus following Jain religion have their desire from heart to visit this holy place at least once in their life. Thousands of pilgrims visit this holy place from all over the world every year. I had an opportunity to visit this place during my last visit to India during last November. I was amazed to see the beauty of these temples and felt it necessary to write about them so that many of my friends and readers do not miss this place during their next visit to India.

The temples of Kesariaji are located around 30 miles away from the city of Udaipur and around 140 miles from the city of Ahmedabad. The best option to reach here is through hired car or taxis from any of the near by cities of Rajasthan or Gujarat. Most of the pilgrims reach Kesariaji from Udaipur as most of the international tourists visit city of Udaipur in view of its unique beauty and historical importance. The temple of Kesariaji can be a one-day outing from Udaipur. One can start at around 8 am in the morning from Udaipur and can easily reach back to Udaipur by around 6 pm in the evening after the visit to these Jain temples. It hardly takes around forty-five minutes to reach Kesariaji temples from Udaipur. There are main two Jain derasars here at Kesariaji. These temples were built at the expense of around Rs.7.5 million in the year 1440 during the rule of Rajput King Kumbharana. One rich Jain, named as Dharma Sheth, donated the money to build these unique temples.

The larger temple is having all the statues of Jain Tirthankar Lord Parasnath. It is 78 meters long and 73 meters wide. It is built in white marble, which is obtained from the marble quarries of Rajasthan. There are 46 small temples all around the main temple. The marble statue of Lord Parasnath is kept in each of these small temples. There is a very attractive gate on Western side of the main temple, which is having three summits on top of it. The fine marble engraving on these summits is really beautiful. There are in all 420 pillars all around the temple to support the main structure of the temple. The small marble statues of Lord Parasnath are kept adjoining to each of these pillars. The full life size statue of Lord Kesariaji, made of beautiful white marble, is put in the main temple. The smaller temple is having the statue of Jain Tirthankar Lord Neminath. It is also having beautiful marble engraving inside. There are large fairs held here at these temples on full moon nights of Gujarati months Chaitra and Kartik. Thousands of pilgrims come here during these fairs from every corner of the country. It is extremely difficult to find place in hotels and dharmshalas here during those days. There are around three large dharmshalas near the temple, which are operated by the temple trust. The pilgrims can stay here by paying nominal charges of around Rs.50 ($1.25) per day. All the facilities of food and water are provided by the temple trust free of cost.

You might be surprised as to why these temples are named as Kesariaji. This is due to the fact that most of the pilgrims use pure Kesar (saffron) here in puja as indicated in the Jain religion. Kesariaji is considered the most important place of pilgrimage for Jains in the Western part of India. If you are Indian and Jain, I am sure you would visit these temples without fail during your next visit to India. However, I would suggest visiting these temples to all the tourists, even if they do not have faith in Jain religion to enjoy its glorious beauty.