Hathee Singh Temple at Ahmedabad
The Hathee Singh Temple at Ahmedabad is a very famous Jain temple and also one of the most popular temples of the city. The temple has been named after its founder Seth Hathee Singh, a prosperous Jain merchant, and is now one of the well known holy places of the Jains in Gujarat.
The temple, built in white marble, is a double storied construction with elaborate porches on three sides and a front porch crowned by a large dome. The other sides of the temple have galleries decorated with carved ornaments. A flight of stairs leads to the pillared hall, which again leads to the sanctum sanctorum. The Hathee Singh Temple is one of the most beautiful Jain temples in Gujarat and follows the typical Jain temple architecture, commonly to be seen in the temples of Dilwara and Ranakpur in the neighboring state of Rajasthan.
Constructed in the year 1850 CE, the Hathee Singh Temple was built in the dedication of the 15th Jain Trithanakara Dharmnath. The building was constructed by Premchand Salat and it is stated, that it cost Rs 10 Lakhs, a sum unimaginable in those days.
The temple is located outside Delhi Gate and has a paved courtyard surrounded by an imposing row of cloisters containing 52 shrines, each with an image of a Tirthankara, adorned with rich delicate carvings. One of the shrines is containing the marble image of the 15th Tirthankar Dharmnath.
Ancient views of Hathee Singh Temple:
Photograph of the Hathee Singh temple taken by Charles Lickfold in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views (Source: oldindianphotos.in).
Interior of Hathee Singh Jain temple, Ahmedabad by Raja Deen Dayal, 1900 (Source: asianartresource.com).