Tijara temple is perhaps one of the most important and most visited Jain temples nearby Delhi. The Tijaraji temple is dedicated to the eighth Jain teerthankara, Chandraprabhu baghwan. Situated in Alwar district of Rajasthan, the temple is just over 100km from Delhi and about 75km from Gurgaon. The best part is, all you need is a car, just about 5 hours in a day and you can make a memorable pilgrimage to a beautiful and pious Jain temple.
The history and the importance of Tijara temple
The temple is dedicated to Chandra Prabhu baghwan and his idol is the principal deity of the temple. In the year 1956 the marvellous deity was recovered at the very spot where the temple stands today. This fact takes back the history of the Tijaraji temple, the idol and the place itself to hundreds of years.
The idol of teerthankara Chandra Prabhu is quite astonishing. You can say your prayers inside the temple. The architecture of the temple is very impressive and the entire complex is serene. The temple is revered by the Jains but you can easily find non-Jains who come to pray and many tourists too.
Just behind the main Tijaraji temple and part of the complex, there is another small temple which you should visit and say your prayers there too.
How to reach Tijara temple?
Reaching Tijara is fairly easy (click for directions) especially if you have a car and you live in or around Delhi. From Delhi or Gurgaon, take the NH8 towards Jaipur. Once you reach Dharuhera, leave the NH and take the left route to Alwar. Next main town you’ll cross is Bhiwadi which is also in Rajasthan. From there you’ll be taking a right. At the toll plaza tell them you are going till Tijara and you’ll be coming back – this way you’ll have to pay less money for toll. After that just keep driving straight till you reach a roundabout, from there you’ll be taking the left road – though the signages are there so you’ll not get confused. If you need to ask for directions, ask for Tijara and/or Alwar – the temple is on the road to Alwar.
After driving for a couple of kms, you’ll reach a small habitation and from there you need to take a left to the Tijaraji temple. This left cut can be missed, since it’s within buildings/shops and the signage, though it’s there, is smaller and a little higher and can be easily missed. My advice, drive slow, keep checking and maybe ask someone on the road for the Tijara temple when you reach this habitation.
[gallery ids="1141,1147,1151,1158,1164,1172,1180,1184,1185"]
The Parking, the Food and the Bazaar
Once you have taken the left, rest is easy. The Tijaraji temple is now only about 100m and make sure you park your car inside the covered area. There are stairs to the temple from this area on its right far off corner (behind the stage) and the place where you should eat is also right there on the left far off corner – temple stairs and eating area are exactly opposite to reach other.
Parking is free. The food that is served there is simple, unlimited, fantastic and reasonably priced. Before you eat, you’ll need to buy a coupon which is available within the temple complex. Make sure to check the timings they have mentioned for the food, lunch is not available after 1pm.
If you are keen on shopping or you have missed the food, there is a small bazaar on the other side of the temple. I can’t comment on food served in restaurants there since during both my visits I ate in temple – that food for me is too good to be missed. About shopping, check out the papads there, it’s a speciality.
All the Makings of a Memorable trip
If you were to trust my experiences of visits to the Tijara temple, I have been there twice, you can be sure your trip will have all the things needed to make it a memorable one. The drive will be exciting since the road is nice for most part and the traffic jams, if happen, are horrible. The accompanying things like parking and food are taken care of. And most important of all, Tijaraji temple is a place of pilgrimage you should visit at least once.
The history and the importance of Tijara temple
The temple is dedicated to Chandra Prabhu baghwan and his idol is the principal deity of the temple. In the year 1956 the marvellous deity was recovered at the very spot where the temple stands today. This fact takes back the history of the Tijaraji temple, the idol and the place itself to hundreds of years.
The idol of teerthankara Chandra Prabhu is quite astonishing. You can say your prayers inside the temple. The architecture of the temple is very impressive and the entire complex is serene. The temple is revered by the Jains but you can easily find non-Jains who come to pray and many tourists too.
Just behind the main Tijaraji temple and part of the complex, there is another small temple which you should visit and say your prayers there too.
How to reach Tijara temple?
Reaching Tijara is fairly easy (click for directions) especially if you have a car and you live in or around Delhi. From Delhi or Gurgaon, take the NH8 towards Jaipur. Once you reach Dharuhera, leave the NH and take the left route to Alwar. Next main town you’ll cross is Bhiwadi which is also in Rajasthan. From there you’ll be taking a right. At the toll plaza tell them you are going till Tijara and you’ll be coming back – this way you’ll have to pay less money for toll. After that just keep driving straight till you reach a roundabout, from there you’ll be taking the left road – though the signages are there so you’ll not get confused. If you need to ask for directions, ask for Tijara and/or Alwar – the temple is on the road to Alwar.
After driving for a couple of kms, you’ll reach a small habitation and from there you need to take a left to the Tijaraji temple. This left cut can be missed, since it’s within buildings/shops and the signage, though it’s there, is smaller and a little higher and can be easily missed. My advice, drive slow, keep checking and maybe ask someone on the road for the Tijara temple when you reach this habitation.
[gallery ids="1141,1147,1151,1158,1164,1172,1180,1184,1185"]
The Parking, the Food and the Bazaar
Once you have taken the left, rest is easy. The Tijaraji temple is now only about 100m and make sure you park your car inside the covered area. There are stairs to the temple from this area on its right far off corner (behind the stage) and the place where you should eat is also right there on the left far off corner – temple stairs and eating area are exactly opposite to reach other.
Parking is free. The food that is served there is simple, unlimited, fantastic and reasonably priced. Before you eat, you’ll need to buy a coupon which is available within the temple complex. Make sure to check the timings they have mentioned for the food, lunch is not available after 1pm.
If you are keen on shopping or you have missed the food, there is a small bazaar on the other side of the temple. I can’t comment on food served in restaurants there since during both my visits I ate in temple – that food for me is too good to be missed. About shopping, check out the papads there, it’s a speciality.
All the Makings of a Memorable trip
If you were to trust my experiences of visits to the Tijara temple, I have been there twice, you can be sure your trip will have all the things needed to make it a memorable one. The drive will be exciting since the road is nice for most part and the traffic jams, if happen, are horrible. The accompanying things like parking and food are taken care of. And most important of all, Tijaraji temple is a place of pilgrimage you should visit at least once.
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