24.02.2013 ►Kankani ►Tribhuvan Parshvanath Jain Temple @ HereNow4U

This Sunday was the last day of our stay in Jodhpur. The following Monday in early afternoon was our flight to Delhi where we stayed overnight and took farewell from our friends there. Tuesday morning Swami Dharmanand ji accompanied us to the airport, and from there we took the flight to Dubai, our last destination before returning to Berlin.

But back to Jodhpur, there we met again with the Surana family this Sunday morning. About 09:00h Saurabh Surana picked us up from our hotel near the station and brought us to their new townhouse still under construction, where also his parents awaited us. We then continued to their old house in Sardarpura district of Jodhpur, and from there we left Jodhpur in southern direction and followed NH 65.

The street ran close to fields and meadows, in some parts lined with walls or thorn hedges. At the end of an especially elongated wall of red bricks we stopped. Smilingly father and son Surana explained to us that the greatest part of the land at the left of the road belongs to the propriety of the Surana family since nearly 3 generations. Shri Sohan Surana, the granduncle of Saurabh Surana was a very successful and prominent real estate developer. He and his elder brother late Shri Mohanraj Surana laid the foundation stone for the huge land property of the family. They told us that every Sunday they go on this tour to the same destination, where we actually were heading to. After approximately 28km we reached the village Kankani, where we turned short before the village exit into a barred doorway of a temple. Inside the courtyard someone came near, opened the gate and closed it again after we were in.

“Welcome to Kankani Tribhuvan Parshvanath Jain Temple,“ said Shri Surana, “our family temple, built by my uncle Shri Sohan Surana. I want to show you some very interesting pieces here.” Interesting pieces sounded very promising, and full of expectation we followed our hosts.

Kankani Tribhuvan Parshvanath Jain Temple

Entry to Tribhuvan Parshvanath Jain Temple

The white marble temple literally beamed in the sandy landscape. Bordered with a white washed wall this recently completed jewel in fact housed some selected art objects. Before the construction of the temple only two buildings were on the ground, one for accommodation, and one for administration. The neighbourhood was and is uncomplicated, as the bungalow adjacent to the temple is also belonging to Shri Sohan Surana. Sometimes, our hosts reported, an area is not convenient for the erection of a Jain temple, because the neighbours are using their propriety in a way causing Himsa. Further details unfortunately were not available, even on demand.

The temple is not only named after 23. Tirthankara Parshvanath, but has also add on ‘Tribhuvan’. Tribhuvan means knowledge of the three worlds: Heaven, earth, and underworld. Is this term combined with the name of a Tirthankara, the faculty of the Tirthankara to have knowledge on the three worlds is underlined.

Climbing the stairs to the temple and passing, like in all Jain temples, the dragon armoured barrier, one catches a glimpse on a remarkable collection of Tirthankara, Dada Guru and Ganesha sculptures in the circular formed main hall of the small temple, cheerfully decorated with fresh rose blossoms:

Mulnayak 23. Tirthankara Parshvanath

23. Tirthankara Parshvanath

01. Tirthankara Rishabnath

16. Tirthankara Shantinatha

God Ganesha with a hook of 3 snakes, one of them with a golden hook, one symbol of cobra on his beak, as well as 2 snakes, one rat, and a pan in his hands, sitting on a turtle, being the symbol for perception beyond the 5 senses.