Image Source: Wikimedia Commons Modified and released under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 3.0

Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir

Geographical Location: Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir is located just opposite the massive Red Fort at the intersection of Netaji Subhash Marg and Chandni Chowk, in Delhi. This is said to be the oldest Jain temple in Delhi.

Historical Timeline: The temple was built in 1656.

Visit Time:

March to October: 5:30 am to 11:30 am & 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm

November to February: 6:00 am to 12:00 pm & 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm

During specific festivals, such as Daslakshan Parv or Paryushan Mahaparv, the temple complex is open for longer hours.

Nearby places (Landmark, sightseeing): The Gauri Shankar temple and the Naya Mandir are the two temples in the neighbourhood which can be visited. Built in 1761 by Appa Gangadhara, a Maratha Brahman, the Gauri Shankar temple is just next to the Lal Mandir. The Naya Mandir was built between the years 1800-1807 by Raja Harsukh Rai, who was the imperial treasurer and is known ... More

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons Modified and released under Creative Common License CC BY-SA 3.0

Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir

Geographical Location: Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir is located just opposite the massive Red Fort at the intersection of Netaji Subhash Marg and Chandni Chowk, in Delhi. This is said to be the oldest Jain temple in Delhi.

Historical Timeline: The temple was built in 1656.

Visit Time:

March to October: 5:30 am to 11:30 am & 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm

November to February: 6:00 am to 12:00 pm & 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm

During specific festivals, such as Daslakshan Parv or Paryushan Mahaparv, the temple complex is open for longer hours.

Nearby places (Landmark, sightseeing): The Gauri Shankar temple and the Naya Mandir are the two temples in the neighbourhood which can be visited. Built in 1761 by Appa Gangadhara, a Maratha Brahman, the Gauri Shankar temple is just next to the Lal Mandir. The Naya Mandir was built between the years 1800-1807 by Raja Harsukh Rai, who was the imperial treasurer and is known for its fine carvings. It was built after Rai got imperial permission to build a temple in the Agrawal Jain neighborhood of Dharamapura, just south of Chandani Chowk. The other places which can be visited are the famous and historic Red Fort of Delhi, and the Masjid e Jahan Numa, or the Jama Masjid, which is one of the largest mosques in India. The Indian War Memorial Museum is situated in the Naubat Khana of the Red Fort. It contains various galleries pertaining to military history during the First and Second World Wars. The Swantra Sangram Sangrahalya is a very popular museum in Delhi, which displays India’s history from Colonial rule onwards. This museum emphasises India’s first war for Independence in 1857. There are many other places in Delhi which are worth a visit such as the Bahai Lotus temple, ISKCON temple, Akshardham Mandir, Qutub Minar, etc.

Accommodation: The temple trust does not provide accommodation to visitors. However, there are a lot of private accommodations available near the temple.

Accessibility route: Visitors can either take Delhi transport buses (DTC) from various points within the city to reach this sacred monument, or they can even hire auto-rickshaws and taxis or ride the metro train. The nearest railway station to reach the temple is Old Delhi Railway Station. The temple can be reached through the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, which is well connected with regular domestic and international flights. Local transport can be hired from the airport and the railway station to reach the temple.

Philosophy: Being a Jain temple, it is based on the main philosophical tenets of the Jain religion. Thus Anekantavada or the ‘many-sidedness of reality and the truth is believed in, and it is held that no single statement can define the absolute truth and the nature of existence. Anekantavada also means non-absolutism, intellectual Ahimsa, and religious pluralism. The other tenet is that of Karma which is believed to be the basic principle underlying the psycho-cosmology in Jainism. It defines the transmigration of the soul, which means that the soul is constrained to a cycle of rebirth until it finally achieves liberation. Kevala Jnana, which means omniscience in Jainism, is translated as supreme wisdom, which is believed to be an intrinsic quality of the soul and the soul which has attained this state is called a kevalin. The soul has to pass through a fourteen-phase process of spiritual development and growth, known as Gunasthana before it attains liberation. As per Jainism, the universe is made up of six external substances or Dravya, which are jiva (sentient beings), pudgala (non-sentient substances), dharma (principle of motion), adharma (principle of rest) and kala (time).