Five minutes’ walk from Sachiya Mata Temple, Mahavira Temple is dedicated to the last of the Jain tirthankars (great teachers). This is a more spacious temple than Sachiya Mata, featuring an open-air pavilion-style mandapa supported by carved pillars. As at the Sachiya Mata Temple, the drum of the dome features sculptures of apsaras (heavenly nymphs). There is also a beautiful torana before the temple, decorated with very intricate sculptural work.
The image of Mahavira glistens with piercing eyes. According to legend it’s over 2000 years old, was found buried underground, and is made of sand and milk and coated in gold. In the right-hand corner there’s an ancient frieze, which retains fragments of colour.
