Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji The Most Beautiful And Celebrated Of Mumbais Jain Temples

Mumbai is one of the great multi-ethnic melting pots of South Asia

. Corporate empires of some of the worlds most powerful industrialists tower over shanty towns and slums, TV and movie stars rub shoulders with the citys immense middle classes as they flock to the riotous street markets and glamorous plazas alike. The city skyline is liberally dotted with mosques, Hindu temples, colonial churches, Sikh temples and Jain shrines alike, being symbolic of the colourful hodge-podge of culture that characterizes the city, as well as being providing spiritual counterpoints to the citys dazzling modern flash and glam.

Predictably, this metropolis is home to Indias largest demographic of Jain followers, and many beautiful Jain shrines and temples are scattered in unlikely places throughout the bustling commercial hubs of the city. The principle and most popular amongst these is indubitably the Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji Jain temple. Nestling at the heart of Mumbais Central Business District on Ridge Road, Malabar Hill, the temple looks over the scenic waters of the citys bay area.

As in Jainism three main standout characteristics are their extreme respect for all life forms, their self-restraint and their sense of aestheticism, it is no surprise that Jain temples almost routinely surpass their Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim counterparts in terms of sheer visual beauty. This Jain temple in particular can be held up as a shining example of what the Jains love of beauty and their generous monetary contribution (the Jain community is famously known for their business sense and commercial prosperity) can together accomplish.

Built primarily by the Swetambar Jains and dedicated to the first Jain Apostle, or Tirthankara, this revered building is over a hundred years old. The dignity of its age serves only to enhance its architectural opulence. Constructed largely of pure marble, its imposing entrance is flanked on either side by majestic stone elephants. The interior is adorned with vibrantly painted frescoes that extend over the high-domed ceiling. The latter is devoted to celestial bodies denoting the twelve signs of the zodiac while the frescoes carry a visual narrative of the lives of the twenty-four Tirthankaras (Jain apostles). Of special note is the black marble shrine devoted to Lord Parshvanath, the 23rd of the Tirthankaras.

Images of deities and saints line the downstairs halls, among whose number appears the Hindu Elephant God Ganesh. While this image stands testament to the religious links between Jain and Hindu beliefs, the shrine of Lord Ganesh is especially beloved by Hindu devotees and draws large numbers of them to worship at this famed Jain temple.

Followers of all faiths and sects in the city are invariably drawn to the beauty and serenity of this place of worship. They, along with the scores of tourists who flock to the temple to soak in its history and prestige as being one of the prime hubs of religious tourism in Mumbai, add to the diversity of devotees flowing in and out of the temple premises. People from all walks of life congregate here, from bare-footed business moguls to white-robed monks, from turbaned Sikhs to prayer-capped Muslims to western tourists.

Whether in the city for business or leisure, travellers staying in Mumbai hotels should make every effort not to miss out on this beloved city icon. For those seeking a business hotel Mumbai that affords centralized access to both the citys major sight-seeing attractions and commercial venues, The Leela Palace Kempinski Mumbai is a hotel which comes highly-recommended by discerning travellers.

by: Pushpitha Wijesinghe

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