Taranga And Kumbharia Jain Temples, Danta

Kumbharia Jain temples, built by Vimal Shah during the 12th century, are five different temples dedicated to the Jain tirthankaras - Mahavir, Neminath, Sambhavnath, Shantinath and Parshwanath. Artistically built with white marbles, these five temples are the only ones left out of the 360 Jain temples that were built by Vimal Shah, the minister of Bhimdev I – the Chalukya king. These temples are located at a distance of 40 km from the Taranga hills and portray extensive artistic carvings of gods, goddesses, angels, horsemen and musicians. The temples are open between 6.30 am and 7.30 pm daily.

Present about 20 km from Vadnagar is the tranquil three-peaked Taranga hill that takes its visitors into a total different world. A place with intense connections with Buddhism, one begins to come across traces of importance of the religion at the spot, even as he takes the route rising towards these beautiful mounds. While many shoeless Jain monks can be found walking up and down the thoroughfares, present atop is a little shrine devoted to Devi Taranamata – a Buddhist goddess.

And perched atop is the glorious Taranga Jain Temple, a 12th-century shrine that is popular among Jains and Buddhists yet quite unfamiliar among the tourist fraternity and thus, remaining extremely calm unlike various other popular temples. Present within the magnificent structure is a five-meter-tall sculpture of Sri Ajitnath – the second Jain tirthankara.