Kamaldah Jain Temple Complex is the oldest Jain temple in Patna. It is situated in Gulzarbagh area of Patna City. As per one source, its history goes back to the times of Maurya ( c. Second-Third BCE). Considering the locality in which it is situated, the historical fact can not be denied abruptly. The famed 80-pillared Mauryan Hall at Kumhrar and the unfathomable Agam Kuan lie within one kilometer of the Jain temples.
Presently, there are two groups of Jain temples - one of recent origin and another of old origin, lying some 0.5 km - 1 km distance separated by Gulzarbagh railway station. The below temple is of recent origin, situated on the main road of Gulzarbagh railway station, not far from the nearby over-bridge.
It consist of a small temple dedicated to Tirthankara Neminath Ji. An office of the temple management is also present in the building. Any information can be obtained from there. The temple is opened during the evening hour normally. On the request of the admin@patnaphotogallery, the temple doors were opened in the afternoon time.
Inside view of the temple. The inside (below) photograph has been taken after due permission.
The second group of temple is situated on the other side of the railway station. It consist of two temples. The admin@patnaphotogallery found it after some wandering, despite being directed by the office staff at the new temple as locals knew little about it and the location is bit hidden. This complex is dedicated to the famous Jain sage, Sthulibhadra Swami Ji. The below photograph is taken from the platform, with both temples highlighted.
One temple is on the plain while the other is situated on a mound. The temples have been in existence for some 200 years. The below is the temple at plain, named as Shri Shresthi Sudarshan Mandir. The temple contains the holy footprints of Shresthi Sudarshan.
The temple at the mound is meditation centre named as Shri Sthulibhadra Meditation Temple( Shri Sthulibhadra Sadhna Sthal ).
A view of the Sudarsan temple.
The holy foot print of Shri Shresthi Sudarshan Ji.
A view of the temple from outside. The admin@patnaphotogallery was pleasantly surprised to find a guard posted in the temple. Considering the area which is isolated and situated in a field, the presence of guard gives a feeling of security and assurance.
The view of the Gulzarbagh railway station. The entrance to the platform can be seen at distance. The path to the temple begins from where the photo has been taken. It is not the main way to reach the temple. One should use the main way which can be accessed after crossing the over-bridge..
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I appreciate the effort made by the team of Patna Photography to explore the secluded Jain temple related to 18th century. The picture resolution is good. The narration in brief is catchy.I liked the post.Now, planing to visit the temple.
ReplyDeleteC S Mishra, Patan
can you plz send me few pics of Kamaldah patna for blog on Bihar.
ReplyDeleteshubham04jan attherate gmail dot com