Chautavalu Derasar

From Prerana school, walk westwards, past the sub Post Office and turn right to reach Chautavalu Derasar about 200 m away.

This is the Chauthavalu Derasar, a prominent Jain shrine in Vadnagar.

Derasar is a term used in Gujarat and Rajasthan for a Jain temple. The name Chauthavalu is believed to come from the ‘chauta’, meaning a central square or marketplace. It suggests that this temple once stood at the heart of Vadnagar. This shrine is dedicated to Adinatha, also known as Rishabhanatha, the first of the 24 Tirthankaras. So this temple is also called the Chota Adinath Derasar.

The temple is believed to have been built in the 12th century, during the reign of King Kumarapala of the Solanki dynasty. His 29 year reign is often seen as a golden age for Jainism in this region. Like many Solanki rulers, Kumarapala was a devotee of Shiva. At one point, he is said to have come under the influence of the Jain monk and scholar, Hemchandracharya. He was greatly taken up by the Jain faith and its practices. Soon, Kumarapala became one of its greatest patrons, adopting and promoting Jain ideals like non-violence, compassion and restrictions on animal slaughter. He commissioned many Jain temples across the region including the Ajitanatha temple at Taranga. A few hundred kilometres from here, at a place called Shatrunjaya hill in Palitana, you can see hundreds of glorious Jain temples, a powerful testament to the region’s continuous Jain tradition.

Take a moment to observe the temple’s intricate carvings and the serene images of the Tirthankaras. In the basement, you will find an ancient statue of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, along with other sacred icons that date back to the 12th century.

It is said that the Kalpa Sutra, an important text of the Shwetambar tradition of Jainism, was first publicly recited here. It recounts the life of Mahavira and earlier Tirthankaras, and talks about Jain practices, connecting this quiet shrine to a much larger spiritual and literary tradition.