Shantinath Jain temple, Kothara

Shantinath Jain temple
Shantinath Jain Derasar
Location of Shantinath Derasar in Gujarat
Basic information
Location	Kothara, Kutch district, Gujarat
Geographic coordinates	23°08′08.2″N 68°56′03.3″E / 23.135611°N 68.934250°E / 23.135611; 68.934250Coordinates: 23°08′08.2″N 68°56′03.3″E / 23.135611°N 68.934250°E / 23.135611; 68.934250
Affiliation	Jainism
Deity	Shantinath
Festivals	Mahavir Jayanti
Architectural description
Creator	Shah Velji Malu, Shah Keshavji Nayak, Shivji Nensi and Osval Vanias
Date established	1861
Temple(s)	1

The Shantinath Jain temple is located in Kothara of Kutch district, Gujarat, India. The temple is dedicated to Shantinatha and is an important place of pilgrimage for the followers of Jainism.

The Jain temple dedicated to Shantinath, the 16th Tirthankara. The temple was constructed in on the 13th day of Magha month in 1861, (V.S. 1918). The temple was built at a cost of £40,000 which was considered the costliest temple in kutch during that time. For construction of temple one-half was given by Shah Velji Malu and the other in equal shares by Shah Keshavji Nayak , Shivji Nensi and Osval Vanias of Kothara. It was styled after the Jain temple in Ahmedabad, built by Kutch workmen under the superintendence of Salat Nathu of Sabhrai. The Shantinath statue was formally installed by Acharya Ratnasagarsuri of Achal Gaccha. This temple is also named ‘Kalyan Tunk’ after the writer of the poem ‘Keshavji Nayak’ on the Palitana temples, who was a native of this place. This chief temple is compared to the Meruprabha temple.Mistris of Kutch are considered main architects of these centuries old beautiful Jain temples .

There is a high fort with five cells around this temple with 12 feet high and 6 feet broad gate.

Through a very rich two-storied entrance gate, an outer yard surrounded by buildings set apart for the use of priests, opens into a walled quadrangle with a shrine in each wall. In the center of the quadrangle, on a 6 feet 9 inches plinth reached by fifteen steps, is the temple, 78 feet long 69 wide and 73 ¹⁄₂ high, supported on three sides by rich two-storied domed porches. The domed hall, mandap rises in two stories, and over the shrine is a spire with richly carved figure niches and moldings.

Inside, the hall, mandap, surrounded by aisles or verandahs, with a richly designed pavement of different coloured marbles, has 22 pilasters, and 16 pillars, and a dome supported on 8 pillars with foiled arches and struts. Inside of a wall, chiefly formed of 20 pillars richly carved with flowers, leaves and creepers is the shrine where, supported on either side by seven small figures, is a large image of Shantinath in padmasana posture with a golden crown sitting on a richly carved marble throne. The upper story of the hall, reached by stone steps from the south-west porches, has a corridor with rich shrines each containing a large marble sitting image. Moolnayak of this temple is a 90 cm high, white colored idol of Bhagawan Shantinath in the Padmasana posture. Below the hall there is an underground shrine, with about twenty-five large white marble figures with precious stones let into the eyes, chests, and arms. Besides the underground shrine there is a bhonyra especially prepared against a time of trouble.