Long Thread
Jaisalmer fort has seven gorgeous Jain temples, intact from invasions and destruction over the last 800 years!
The history of the Rajput King, the Fort, Jains and Jain temples of Jaisalmer, is intertwined and spans hundreds of years.
@LostTemple7 @truejainology
Jaisalmer fort has seven gorgeous Jain temples, intact from invasions and destruction over the last 800 years!
The history of the Rajput King, the Fort, Jains and Jain temples of Jaisalmer, is intertwined and spans hundreds of years.
@LostTemple7 @truejainology
As the story goes – the old capital of the region, Lodharva was along the wealthy silk route. The Wealth attracted many looters and invaders. The inv@ders also destroyed the city and damaged the all-important Jain Tirtha of Lodharva.
Tired of invasions and left out of his throne, King Jaisal started the hunt for new capital. He found a monk on a plateau who told him of the forecast that the plateau will be the site of the capital of the future. But, it will also be a site for 2 1/2 Jowhars.
Not deterred, he built the new capital, Jaisalmer named after himself. King Jaisal had land but not much wealth. On the other hand, the flourishing trade along the silk route was controlled by the Jains, which made them ultra-wealthy.
The Patwa family alone had 367 stores all around Asia. They were so wealthy, they financed 48 kingdoms! But, they were merchants, not rulers. They needed the king to protect their temples from invasions. So they struck a deal with King Jaisal.
The wealthy Jains agreed to finance the King’s fort if he agreed to have Jain temples in the Jaisalmer Fort. It was a win-win agreement. The Fort is very secure and hard to penetrate. So, the Jain temples and tirtha Jaisalmer stand as they did hundreds of years ago.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
