Chandraprabhu Swami Jain Temple at Sowcarpet
Sowcarpet is the quarter of Chennai where the majority of Jains live. There is a beautiful modern Jain temple, built of white marble, located in Mint Street of Sowcarpet. The architectural inspiration of this temple which is dedicated to Chandraprabhu Swami was derived from the Dilwara temples near Mt. Abu in Rajasthan. Even though the contemporary temple building is new, there was once one of the oldest Jain temples of Chennai city located on this site.
The Chandraprabhu Swami Jain temple, also known as Naya Jain Mandir in Mint street has a shrine elevated from the ground level. The main shrine has the marble idols of Chandraprabhu Swami, the 8th Tirthankara, along with two disciples on his either sides.
On the left side of the main shrine there is an image of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, while on the right side of the main shrine an idol of Adinath, the 1st Tirthankara, has been positioned. The images of other minor Jain deities, such as Vijaya Yaksha, Vasupujya Swami, Padmavati etc. are also present in the temple. There is a dhyan mandap in the basement. The corridor (prakara) of temple has idols of various deities similar to that of Hindu temples.
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