jain rock-cut temples (india) - 25 photos

Photos of rock-cut Jain temples in Gwalior (India).

Those temples include giant rock-cut sculptures of the Tirthankaras (the 24 great Jain teachers).

Interestingly, those sculptures are often partly hidden inside the rock, with only the head visible through a "window". The rest of the giant sculpture is behind a wall of rock and can be seen only by entering through a small passage at the bottom.

All the Jain sculptures were defaced and castrated by Muslim armies in the 16th century, but some were restored / rebuilt later.

For more information about the Jain religion, please read the following Wikipedia articles:

- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism

- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirthankar

- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jain_temples