Rishabhdev Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Maharana Pratap Airport (code UDR) at Dabok serves Udaipur, 22 km east of the city.

• By road

  The temple is about 69 km from Udaipur district headquarters, linked to National Highway 48.

Why devotees come here

Rishabhdev Temple, also called Kesariyaji, stands in Rishabhdev, in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. It is sheltered by hills and holds a black idol of Rishabhdev that Jains and Hindus both revere.

Rishabhdev is a town in Udaipur district in north-west India, and the temple stands there. Its black idol, about 105 cm tall, is seated in the temple. Bhil devotees know Rishabhdev by the name Kalababa. Digambara and Svetambara Jains, as well as Hindus, count the temple as an important pilgrimage centre.

The temple was built in 874 CE during the reign of Rawal Khuyan of Mewar. An inscription dated 1422 CE records repairs made in the 14th and 15th centuries. The main shrine is a large domed structure, with 52 sub-shrines along its axis. In 1966 the Rajasthan High Court stated that it was a Svetambara Jain temple.

Today the Devasthan Department of the Rajasthan government manages the temple as a self-reliant institution. Devotees have offered saffron to the idol since ancient times, and that is where the name Kesariyaji comes from. A water clock at the main gate sets the daily worship, and the schedule follows the seasons.

Festivals

• Chaitra Krishna Ashtami, eight days after HoliJanmotsav

  Celebrates Rishabhdev's birth, with a three-day fair and a procession to Pagalyaji.

Tips for your visit

• Pagalyaji, a shrine 1 km from the main temple, is where the Janmotsav procession ends.
• The temple has 1100 pillars, and every pillar has different carving.

Questions people ask