Naya Mandir
Jain temple in Old Delhi, India
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Through Jainism, Aurangzeb and Mughal Empire
History
Raja Harsukh Rai, a treasurer in the Mughal Empire during the late Mughal period, constructed a large and ornate Jain temple in the Dharampura locality of Old Delhi in 1807 during the rule of Mughal Emperor Akbar II with a cost of about 8 Lakh rupees, then an enormous amount. He was able to obtain the royal permission to construct a shikhara for the temple for the first time during the Mughal rule. Thus temple is known as the Naya Mandir (new temple), since an older Jain temple, now known as the Lal Mandir already existed.
During the festivities of temple consecration (Panch-kalyanak Pratishtha), the festive pandal was raided by a local group and the gold and silver objects (chhatra, chamar, utensils) were plundered. Harsukh Rai complained to the Emperor, who ordered that they be returned.
The temple houses an important collection of manuscripts.
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The Naya Mandir Maha-purana manuscript
The Naya Mandir book collection includes a rare illustrated manuscript of Maha-purana of Acharya Jinasena. This manuscript dated to 1420 CE is a rare surviving example of Jain (and Indian) art in early 15th century.
Concealed chamber
At one time many Jain temples contained a concealed chamber (sometimes called bhonyra भोंयरा) to hide statues in troubled times. Naya Mandir also has a concealed chamber. A visitor in 1876 described it:
- In Delhi I found a Jain temple which was wholly unknown to Europeans well acquainted with the city; and on prosecuting inquiry, I got its priest to open to me a concealed chamber containing large statues of several of the Tirthankaras richly ornamented.