Naya Mandir

Naya Mandir is a historic Jain temple in Old Delhi in India, in the Dharampura locality allocated to the Jain community by Aurangzeb.

History

Raja Harsukh Rai, a treasurer in the Mughal Empire during the late Mughal period, constructed a large and ornate Jain temple in the Dharampura locality of Old Delhi in 1807 during the rule of Mughal Emperor Akbar II with a cost of about 8 Lakh rupees, then an enormous amount. He was able to obtain the royal permission to construct a shikhara for the temple for the first time during the Mughal rule. Thus temple is known as the Naya Mandir, since an older Jain temple, now known as the Lal Mandir already existed.
During the festivities of temple consecration, the festive pandal was raided by a local group and the gold and silver objects were plundered. Harsukh Rai complained to the Emperor, who ordered that they be returned.
The temple houses an important collection of manuscripts.

The Naya Mandir Maha-purana manuscript

The Naya Mandir book collection includes a rare illustrated manuscript of Maha-purana of Acharya Jinasena. This manuscript dated to 1420 CE is a rare surviving example of Jain art in early 15th century.

Concealed chamber

At one time many Jain temples contained a concealed chamber to hide statues in troubled times. Naya Mandir also has a concealed chamber. A visitor in 1876 described it: