Hutheesing Jain Temple, Ahmedabad
About Hutheesing Jain Temple
History
The construction of the temple was initiated originally planned by Shet Hathisinh Kesarisinh, a wealthy Ahmedabad trader who died at 49. The construction was supervised and completed by his wife Shethani Harkunvar. The total cost was approximately Rs. 8 lakh., then a major sum. The temple is dedicated to Lord Dharmanatha, the fifteenth Jain Tirthankar.Lockwood de Forest who was a business associate of Muggenbhai Hutheesing, the son of Sheth Hathisinh, estimated the cost as "over a million dollars". The temple was built during a severe famine in Gujarat. Building the temple employed hundreds of skilled artisans which supported them for a period of two years.The temple is managed by a Hutheesing family trust. Currently, the temple is undergoing renovation and restoration during which natural ingredients extracted from palm cactus, aloe vera, tamarind mixed with sand, lime jaggery and so on are being used by a workforce of some 125 skilled workers under Architect Shri U. C. Trivedi.,
Architecture
The temple architect was Premchand Salat.The main building is double-storied. The moolnayak is marble image of the 15th Tirthankara, Lord Dharamnath. The main temple houses 11 deities, six in basement and five in three bay sanctuary. The main shrine lies on the east and temple is covered with a big dome supported by twelve ornate pillars. In addition there are 52 shrines (devakulikas), each adorned with an image of a Tirthankara. The secondary shrines form a long gallery its three sides. The front is exquisitely ornamented by a 'dome' shaped structure. There is exquisite mirror work in gateway with architectural elments of haveli style including, carved balustrades, over-arching balconies, chabutras, jaalis and etc are present. The temple has a unique Manastambha (or column of honour) inspired by the Jain Manastambha and the Kirtistambha at Chittore in Rajasthan. The Manasthambha is sixty story in height and enshrines an idol of Mahavira.The temple apart for its rich architectural is also known for rainwater harvesting structure.