Shantinath Jain temple, Chennai

The Shantinath Jain temple, also known as T. Nagar Jain Temple, is a Jain temple located in T. Nagar, a suburb of Chennai, India. The temple is dedicated to Shantinatha, the 16th Thirthankara, and is one of the modern and most important Swetambar Jain temples in Chennai.

Shree Shantinath Jain temple
Religion
AffiliationJainism
DeityShantinath
FestivalsMahavir Jayanti
Location
LocationT. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Location of Shantinath Derasar in Tamil Nadu
Geographic coordinates13°2′46″N 80°14′35″E
Architecture
Date established1979
Temple(s)1

History

In the 1960s, three Jain men came forward to construct a Jain temple in the neighbourhood.[1] Each contributed ₹ 11,111, and with more contributions from other people around the country, the construction of the temple began in 1968 and took place for more than a decade.[1] The temple was completed and consecrated in 1979.[1]

Architecture

The temple is a two-tiered structure built with lime and soapstone from Porbandar and marble from Rajasthan. Built in the North Indian Jain temple architecture, the total height of the temple is 70 feet.[1] The sanctum is an elevated structure in the temple and is reached by a magnificent flight of steps.[1]

The primary idol is that of Lord Shanthinatha, one meter tall and sculpted seated, with the idols of Sunvrath and Shreyansanatha on either sides. Other idols found in the temple are those of Lord Parshwanatha and Lord Mahavira, and Goutham.[1] All the idols are made of marble.[1] The ceiling is dotted with small sculptures of dancers, musicians, and various deities. There are two more shrines at the prakara (corridor) surrounding the main shrine, one dedicated to Padmavati and the other having six idols, namely, Adinatha, Anthariksha Parshwanatha, Jirawala Parshwanatha, Padmaprabha, Sheetalnatha and Neminatha.

The temple has a large prayer hall adjacent to the sanctum.[1]

See also

References
  1. Muthiah, S. (2014). Madras Rediscovered. Chennai: EastWest. pp. 450–451. ISBN 978-93-84030-28-5.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.