Editor Carla Geerdes
Nakoda Parshvanath Temple: Entrance area
Straight we followed the white marked path and directly arrived at the entrance area of Nakoda Parshvanatha Temple. First the slightly higher than life-sized and beautifully ornamented sculptures of two elephants catched the eye. Their upwards directed trunks are forming a gateway. They are hiding the vision inside the temple. Two elephant boys dressed in turquoise garments and holding bamboo sticks in their hands are sitting behind the elephants’ ears. In the upper store ornamental garlands in form of white, orange and red flowers are attached.
Entrance hall inside Nakoda Parshvanath Temple
Detailed view of balustrade, Torana, columns
We entered the temple and were in an anteroom in the form of an open octagonal hall, bordered with ornamental columns connected through Toranas. The anteroom was divided by a balustrade from the deeper placed area. Even the balustrade was decorated with flower garlands. Here was the destination of all the people dressed in their new ceremonial garments. In the anteroom already many were sitting on the floor absorbed in devotion. Downstairs were two open octagonal Mandapas forming a circle. Here also many people were sitting on the floor following an event in front of them. It was not good enough to recognize from the entrance area because it was dark there. We were interested to see what was going on and approached, but before we looked back again for photos.
View back to the open entrance hall
Detailed view of the ceiling
When I turned, a uniformed security guard made signs of disapproval to me, which meant that taking photos was not permitted and I should leave this part of the temple. Just when I was about to tell him that I had come all the way from Germany to report on our visit to the Nakoda temple with photos in HN4U, two visitors came to me and told me smilingly that somebody was on the way to handle this. Actually a young man appeared shortly thereafter and signalled to follow him. He brought me to an obviously administrative building on the right of the temple. One gentleman approached me and asked me very kindly from where I came.
Ganpatchand Patwari, treasurer of Shri Jain Shvetamber Nakoda Parshvanath Tirth
I explained to him that my husband and I had come all the way from Germany to visit the temple and to report on this visit in our online magazine on Jainism and show the photos there as well. For this reason I asked for the permission to take photos. Ah yes, and both us are Jains and have made a side trip from Tapra where we had gone for Darshan of HH Acharya Mahashraman. All this Ganpatchand Patwari noticed with a big smile. I was happy to be able to communicate with him. With the guardian this had not been possible. Finally he asked me to write down my passport details in a big guestbook, which he took out of his desk. My question how it will go on now was answered with the confirmation that we are permitted to take photos. Relieved I went back to the temple and told the guardian by gesture that the permission to take photos had been granted..
But this was not accepted. He showed the size of a sheet of paper and made some writing gesture. Oha, I understood that written permission was necessary. So back to Ganpatchand Patwari. But a written permission was surpassing his competences, and his boss the manager was not present for the moment. So we agreed that I came back in about half an hour when the manager certainly was available. As everything was managed for the moment we decided to use the opportunity for a visit to the upper floor of the temple.
Staircase to the upper floor of the temple
Detailed view of the Torana on the upper edge of the staircase with view on the Shikhara of the temple on the upper floor
Artful stonemasonry at the outer facade of the temple on the upper floor
View from the upper floor on the roof typical for Jain temples of the Parshvanath temple and the environmental hills
View on the open Mandapa of the upper floor and the Garbhagriha (r)
Details of the artful ceiling of the Mandapa
21st Tirthankara Naminatha, decorated with fresh roses and anointed with sandlewood paste
13th Tirthankara Vimalanatha, decorated with fresh roses and anointed with sandlewood paste
Adorned and artfully carved entrance of a Garbhagriha, in which followers are celebrating a religious ritual
A follower is anointing the sculptures with sandlewood paste
17th Tirthankara Kunthunatha, in standing meditation posture (Kayotsarga), in the Garbhagriha (r) followers are celebrating a religious ritual
Here we wondered if the time for meeting the manager had come. We hurried to his office shown to us before, and actually met him there.
Manager J. R. Singhvi
Manager J. R. Singhvi already had written the permission and handed it over to us immediately. We hurried back to the temple, not without having promised to come back again at the end of our visit.
The guardian took our written permission and let us in...