01Two ministers, two temples
Vimal Shah, a minister of Bhima I of Gujarat, built the Vimal Vasahi to Rishabhanatha in 1031. Two centuries later the brothers Vastupala and Tejapala, ministers of the Vaghela ruler of Dholka, built the Luna Vasahi to Neminatha in 1230, named after Tejapala’s son Lunig. The ceilings are what people remember. The great dome of the Luna Vasahi hangs a single lotus pendant carved from marble; around it sixteen Vidyadevis stand on brackets. The other three temples, to Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha, are later.
02Broken and mended
Jain accounts say the Vimal Vasahi and Luna Vasahi were badly damaged in 1311, when Alauddin Khalji’s armies were in the region, and that images were broken. An inscription of V.S. 1378 (1321 CE) in the Vimal Vasahi speaks of the destruction and records the renewal begun by Jain families of Mandor; work went on till about 1338. The Persian chronicles do not mention Abu, so the date rests on the Jain record. The temples remain in Shvetambara Jain worship.
The life of this place
- 1031 CEVimal Shah builds the Vimal Vasahi.
- 1230 CEVastupala and Tejapala build the Luna Vasahi.
- 1311 CEDamaged, per Jain accounts, during Alauddin Khalji’s campaigns.
- 1321–c. 1338 CERenewal by Jain families of Mandor, recorded in an inscription of V.S. 1378.
2.5 km from Mount Abu town; non-Jain visitors are usually admitted around midday only. No cameras, leather or phones inside.
