Why Dilwara stops people mid-sentence
Plain on purpose: the outer walls are deliberately modest. The usual explanation is Jain restraint, and a wish not to tempt raiders. All the richness is saved for those who come inside.
Carving like nowhere else: the marble is worked so thin in places that light seems to pass into it. Lotus pendants hang from domes, and dancers circle every ring.
- Faith
- Jain, Svetambara tradition
- Temples
- Five, in one walled compound
- Oldest
- Vimal Vasahi, about 1031
- Youngest
- Mahavir Swami temple, 1582
- Material
- White marble, carved and rubbed by hand
- Run by
- A Jain trust, as a living temple
- Not a museum: pilgrims worship here every morning. You visit later, in a window kept for visitors, as a guest of a community at prayer.
- No cameras inside: there is nothing to do but look. Most of our guests say that is the gift of Dilwara, not the drawback.
- Small and dense: unlike the soaring hall of Ranakpur, Dilwara is intimate. You move from cell to cell, ceiling to ceiling, and the detail keeps closing in.
- Our full sight page: for room-by-room history, read our main Dilwara temples guide alongside this one.
Ministers, merchants and a holy mountain
A sacred mountain: Mount Abu was holy to Hindus and Jains long before the temples. In the eleventh century it lay in the sphere of the Paramaras of Chandravati, who answered to the Chaulukya kings of Gujarat.
Vimal Shah: a minister and commander of the Chaulukya king Bhima I. Tradition says he built his temple to atone for the bloodshed of his campaigns. Vimal Vasahi was largely complete by about 1031.
- First patron
- Vimal Shah, minister of Bhima I
- Kingdom
- The Chaulukyas of Gujarat, at Patan
- Second great patrons
- Vastupala and Tejapala, 1230
- Damage
- 1311, Alauddin Khalji's armies
- Repairs
- 1321, by the merchants Bijag and Lalag
- Vastupala and Tejapala: two brothers who served the Vaghela ruler Viradhavala. In 1230 they built Luna Vasahi in memory of their brother Luniga.
- The master builder: tradition names Shobhanadeva as the architect of Luna Vasahi. Jain records remember the builders with unusual care, because building a temple earns great merit.
- Three more temples: further shrines followed over the next three centuries. The last, the small Mahavir Swami temple, was built in 1582.
- Survival: the temples were damaged in 1311 when Alauddin Khalji's armies passed through, and repaired within a decade. Major restorations followed in the early twentieth century and between 1950 and 1965.
- The name: the compound takes its name from the nearby village of Dilwara.
Ten minutes of Jainism before you go
Ahimsa: non-violence towards every living being is the heart of Jainism. It explains the rules about leather, food and even how pilgrims walk.
The tirthankaras: twenty-four enlightened teachers, the ford-makers, who crossed the river of rebirth and showed the way. The first was Adinatha, also called Rishabhanatha, and the last was Mahavira.
- Who is honoured here: Vimal Vasahi and the brass temple honour Adinatha, Luna Vasahi honours Neminatha, the twenty-second, the tallest temple honours Parshvanatha, the twenty-third, and the smallest honours Mahavira.
- Svetambara and Digambara: the two great Jain traditions. Dilwara is Svetambara, and its images wear crowns and ornaments on festival days.
- The temple as cosmos: the calm image sits in the sanctum, while the ceilings fill with goddesses, musicians, animals and stories. Detachment at the centre, the busy universe all around.
- Sixteen goddesses of knowledge: the vidyadevis ring the great dome of Vimal Vasahi. Each holds her own emblems, and your guide can name them.
- More reading: our guide to faith and temples in Rajasthan sets Jainism beside the state's other living faiths.
The five temples, and what to look for in each
Vimal Vasahi, the oldest
Dedicated to: Adinatha, the first tirthankara. Largely complete by about 1031, with an outer hall added in the following century.
- The corridor of cells: small shrines, called devakulikas, ring the courtyard, each with its own image and its own carved ceiling. No two are alike.
- The great hall: the rang mandap rises to a central dome circled by the sixteen goddesses of knowledge.
- The elephant hall: the hastishala, added in 1147 to 1149 by Prithvipal, a descendant of Vimal Shah, shows the family riding marble elephants in procession.
Luna Vasahi, the finest
Dedicated to: Neminatha, the twenty-second tirthankara. Built in 1230 by Vastupala and Tejapala, and modelled on Vimal Vasahi.
The famous dome: a hanging marble pendant like an opening lotus, ringed by seventy-two seated tirthankaras and, below them, three hundred and sixty small figures of monks.
- Derani and Jethani: two niches said to have been paid for by the brothers' wives, the younger and elder sister-in-law.
- Ten elephants: the temple's own elephant hall holds ten carved marble elephants.
- The Kirti Stambha: outside, a tall pillar of dark stone set up by Maharana Kumbha of Mewar, builder of Kumbhalgarh.
Pittalhar, the brass temple
Dedicated to: Adinatha, under a great image cast in five metals, mostly brass, or pital, which gives the temple its name.
- Built by: Bhima Shah, a minister of Sultan Mahmud Begada of Ahmedabad. The image was installed in 1468 and 1469.
- The mood: parts of the halls were never finished, so it feels quieter and more austere. A good pause between the two great temples.
The Parshvanatha temple, the tallest
Dedicated to: Parshvanatha, the twenty-third tirthankara. Built in 1458 and 1459 by Sangvi Mandlik and his family, and often called Khartar Vasahi.
- Three storeys: the tallest building in the compound, with a four-faced chaumukha image looking in every direction.
- Grey stone outside: its outer walls carry grey sandstone goddesses and attendants that many visitors find warmer and more human than the marble inside.
The Mahavir Swami temple, the smallest
Dedicated to: Mahavira, the twenty-fourth tirthankara. Built in 1582, the youngest of the five.
- Look for: paintings in the porch added in 1764 by artists from Sirohi, the old state of which Abu was part.
- Why end here: after the intensity of the marble halls, its colour and small scale let you breathe again.
How to read the marble
Our grandfather, who first brought us to Dilwara, used to stand under the Luna Vasahi dome and ask us to count the monks in one small arc. We never finished. By the time we gave up, we had started to see the order inside the richness, and that, he said, was the whole point.
Rubbed, not only chiselled: once the main forms were roughed out, the surfaces were refined by patient scraping and rubbing, until petals and scarves were thin enough to glow.
- The marble: white and fine-grained. Tradition says it came from the Arasur hills, near Ambaji in Gujarat, and was carried up the mountain.
- Domes without arches: each dome is built from rings of stone laid in steps, a method called corbelling. Every ring carries its own band of figures or pattern.
- The padmashila: the hanging lotus pendant at the centre of a dome. Stand directly beneath Luna Vasahi's and the circles seem to turn.
- The style: the western Indian tradition called Maru-Gurjara, or Solanki after the Chaulukya kings. It flourished across Rajasthan and Gujarat from the tenth to the thirteenth century.
- Repetition with play: a ring of dancers repeats around a dome, yet each pose differs. Two ceilings share a plan, and one becomes a lotus while the other becomes a whirl of stars.
- Brackets as dancers: look at where pillars meet ceilings. The brackets are carved as figures caught mid-movement.
- More on the vocabulary: our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture explains domes, pillars and pendants across the state.
What most visitors miss
The cell ceilings: in Vimal Vasahi, walk the corridor slowly and look up at every small shrine. Some of the finest carving in the compound is here, not in the great hall.
The goddesses by name: ask your guide to point out Saraswati and a few of the other goddesses of knowledge, each with her own attributes.
- One arc of monks: count a short section of the 360 monks around the Luna Vasahi pendant. It slows you down in the best way.
- The family on elephants: Vimal Vasahi's elephant hall is a portrait of a medieval dynasty of ministers, not of kings.
- The grey goddesses: the sandstone figures on the outer walls of the Parshvanatha temple, which almost everyone walks past.
- The 1764 paintings: in the porch of the Mahavir Swami temple, a rare survival of Sirohi painting.
- The worshippers: pilgrims in clean, unstitched white cloth, moving quietly between shrines. Watching them, at a respectful distance, explains the place better than any guidebook.
- The lovers' temple behind: the small shrine of Rasiya Balam and Kunwari Kanya, tied to a local legend of a sculptor who dug Nakki Lake with his fingernails to win a princess. Told as legend, and a charming one.
Dress, cameras and the rules of a living temple
Cover up: long trousers or a long skirt and a top with sleeves. Shorts, short skirts and sleeveless or see-through tops are not appropriate.
No leather: leave belts, wallets, handbags, camera straps and watch straps in the car. This is the rule people most often forget.
Phones and cameras: not allowed inside. They are usually deposited at the entrance or left with your chauffeur.
- Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone
- Shoes
- Off at the entrance, barefoot on marble
- Leather
- None at all: belts, bags, straps, wallets
- Photography
- Not allowed inside the temples
- Not allowed
- Food, drink and tobacco
- Hours
- Limited window for non-Jain visitors, we confirm
- Bare feet: you walk barefoot on the marble. It is cold on a winter afternoon, so wear socks where they are permitted and carry them in a pocket.
- A notice for women: signs at the entrance ask women not to enter during menstruation, as at many Jain and Hindu temples. Nobody is asked anything. We mention it only so no one is surprised.
- Quiet and hands off: speak softly, never touch the images or carvings, and never step in front of anyone at prayer.
- Visiting hours: mornings are kept for worship, and non-Jain visitors come in a later window that changes from time to time. We confirm it for the week you travel.
- Accessibility: there are steps at the entrance and between halls, and floors can be uneven. Our accessible travel guide explains how we plan.
- The wider customs: our temple etiquette guide covers shoes, prasad and offerings across Rajasthan.
The best hour, the best season
Arrive at the opening: be there when visitors are first admitted. The queue is short and the halls are calm for the first half hour.
Avoid weekends: Abu is a holiday town for Gujarat and Rajasthan, and the temples fill on Saturdays, Sundays and long weekends.
- Best months
- October, November, February and March
- Busiest
- April to June, and holiday weekends
- Best day
- Any weekday
- Best moment
- The start of the visitors' window
- Mount Abu altitude
- About 1,220 metres
- October and November: after the monsoon, the hills are green and the air clear. Our favourite months on the mountain.
- December and January: cold for Rajasthan, with chilly nights and bright days. Lovely, but bring a warm layer for the marble floors.
- February and March: bright and pleasant, and a good fit with a wider southern journey.
- April to June: the hill-station season, when the plains bake and Abu is at its busiest. Go only on weekdays.
- July to September: the monsoon. Abu gets more rain than anywhere in the state, and mist can hide the hills for days.
- Month by month: our best time to visit Mount Abu guide has the detail.
A Dilwara day, the way we plan it
First light at Nakki Lake
- Walk the shore: mist on the water and the town still asleep. Our page on Nakki Lake has the route.
- Climb to Toad Rock: a short, steep path for the view over the lake and the hills, before breakfast.
Late morning, the briefing
- Ten minutes with your guide: the tirthankaras, the five temples and what to find in each, over coffee.
- Get ready: change into modest clothes and leave leather, phone and wallet in the room.
Afternoon, the temples
- Enter at the opening: spend at least ninety minutes, giving most of it to Vimal Vasahi and Luna Vasahi.
- Finish gently: the brass temple, the Parshvanatha temple and the small Mahavir Swami temple, then the lovers' shrine behind the compound.
Evening on the ridge
- Sunset with a view: a quiet point on the ridge, or the terrace of a princely house above the lake, with tea or a drink.
- Dinner: many guests are happy with a simple vegetarian supper after Dilwara. It suits the day.
What to pair with Dilwara
Achalgarh and Guru Shikhar
- Achalgarh: the ruined fort about ten kilometres from town, rebuilt by Rana Kumbha, with small Jain temples and the old shrine of Achaleshwar Mahadev.
- Guru Shikhar: at 1,722 metres, the highest point in Rajasthan. Go early, before the haze, and climb the last few hundred steps to the bell.
Ranakpur, the forest of pillars
- Why pair them: the fifteenth-century Chaumukha temple at Ranakpur has a vast, airy hall of pillars, traditionally counted at 1,444. Dilwara is intimate, Ranakpur soars.
- How far: about three and a half to four hours from Abu by road. Read our Ranakpur temple guide.
Kumbhariya, across the border
- For devotees of Jain art: the marble temples of Kumbhariya, near Ambaji in Gujarat, belong to the same age and tradition, and are far less visited.
- On the road south: they fit naturally on the drive towards Ahmedabad.
Where to stay near Dilwara
Palace Hotel, Bikaner House: the old summer residence of the Maharajas of Bikaner, in wooded grounds near the Dilwara road. The closest of the princely houses to the temples.
Jaipur House: the former summer palace of the Jaipur royal family, on a hill above Nakki Lake, with terraces made for sunset.
- Connaught House: a smaller colonial bungalow with gardens, peaceful and old-world.
- Rooms vary: within each house, rooms differ a great deal, so we choose for every guest rather than by category name.
- Compare them: our guide to palace stays in Mount Abu and our list of luxury hotels in Mount Abu go into detail.
Getting there and fitting it in
One night: enough for Dilwara and a sunset if you are passing between Udaipur and Gujarat.
Two nights: add Guru Shikhar, Achalgarh and a walk in the wildlife sanctuary. Our Mount Abu itinerary shows how.
- Nearest airport
- Udaipur, about 3.5 to 4 hours
- Nearest station
- Abu Road, about 28 km below
- Ghat road
- About 45 minutes up the hill
- From Ahmedabad
- About four to five hours
- Nights we suggest
- Two
- On a temple journey: our Sacred Rajasthan journey links the great shrines of the region at an easy pace.
- Into Gujarat: our Mount Abu and Gujarat journey continues south to Ahmedabad and Kutch.
- More on sacred places: our page on temples and pilgrim towns explains how we arrange temple days.
Who will love Dilwara, and who may not
Lovers of sculpture and architecture: nothing in India quite prepares you for these ceilings.
The spiritually curious: a quiet, focused place, and a clear introduction to a faith many visitors know little about.
- Families with patient children: give them something to hunt for, such as the elephants or the musicians, and keep the visit shorter for young ones.
- Photographers, with a warning: you cannot shoot inside. Some love the freedom, others find it frustrating.
- Those in a hurry: with limited hours and a winding road, Dilwara does not reward a quick stop. Give it a full day or skip it.
- Anyone uneasy with temple rules: the customs here are firm. Our guides explain them calmly, and you are always free to wait in the garden.