Pareshnath Jain Temple - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 2 km from Kolkata Railway Station, Pareshnath Jain Temple is a popular Jain temple located at Badridas Temple Street in the city of Kolkata. Also called as Calcutta Jain Temple, it is one of the significant places of pilgrimage in Kolkata and among the must-visit places as part of Kolkata Packages.

Pareshnath Jain Temple was built in 1867 by Rai Badridas Bahadur Mookim and pratishta was done by Sri Kalyansurishwarji Maharaj. It is one of the most revered and holy shrines of the Jains in Kolkata. The Pareshnath Jain Temple is actually a complex of 4 temples - Shitalnath Temple, Chandraprabhuji temple, Mahavir Swami Temple, and Dadawadi and Kushal Maharaj Temple. Each of these temples has a captivating architecture with mirrors, stained glass and intricate designs all over the structure. The structure is mostly made in marble with floral designs and has meticulously decorated gateways, walls, pillars, and floors.

The main shrine is dedicated to the 10th Tirthankara, Sri Shitalnath Ji. The deity of Lord Shitalnathji is seated in the sanctum sanctorum, and his diamond-studded forehead is a major attraction for the visitors. Towards the south of the temple of Sri Shitalnath Ji, lies the shrine of Sri Chanda Prabhujidev, which was built by Ganeshlal Kapoorchand Jahar in the year 1895. To the right of this foundation, there are temples of Dadaji Garu and Kushalji Maharaj, where the footprints of Jain Acharya Jin Dutt Kushal Suri is kept and worshiped. Finally in the northern direction, stands the 4th temple dedicated to Mahavir, who was the last Jain Tirthankara.

The interiors of the temple are lavishly decorated with high-quality mirrors, and glasses, the ceilings are adorned by chandeliers. The floor is intricately paved with marble and embellished with exquisite floral designs that provide a classy look to this colossal architecture. A museum and a comfortable greeting room welcome the visitors in this temple. Also, it has a garden contains the blocks of glass mosaics and European style statues. Another interesting feature of this temple is that there is a lamp, which burns with ghee inside the sanctum sanctorum, which has been continuously burning ever since the initiation of the temple since 1867.

The temple celebrates Paryushan in Bhadrav month (between 16 August and 15 September) with great enthusiasm that attracts a large number of devotees. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple premises.

Timings: 6 AM - 11 PM & 3 PM - 7 PM