Bichhor Prachin Jain Mandir

Shri 1008 Mahavir Digambar Jain Prachin Mandir is located 130 kilometers from the capital city of Delhi and 40 kilometers from Palwal, in the village of Bichhor in the Nuh district of Haryana. Prior to the construction of the temple, there used to be a chaityalaya at the site, adorned with several Jain idols. It is said that a wealthy merchant transformed the chaityalaya into the present temple structure. He had the temple built at a cost of only 250 rupees. During that time he distributed sweet jaggery to the people as a gesture of goodwill. Later, the temple was handed over to the Jain community by the merchant. Currently, the local Jain community manages the temple. In the year 1945, two years before the partition of India and Pakistan, a member of the Jain community in Bichhor, Mr. Maulak Chand Jain, had a dream that a great calamity was going to befall the region and all the idols needed to be placed in a safe location without informing anyone. Assessing the situation, he concealed all the idols behind a wall, leaving only a small idol of Shri Parshvanath bhagwan ji on the Vedi (altar). Two years later, during the partition turmoil, violence erupted everywhere, and people were leaving their homes to seek safety. Mr. Maulak Chand Jain, along with his family, decided to leave the area as well. Before departing, he buried the pratima of Shri Parshvanath Bhagwan under a Neem tree in the ground. After several years, when everything settled down, he returned with his family to Bichhor. Subsequently, he retrieved all the idols from behind the wall and placed them back on the Vedi. At present, there is basically only one Vedi in the temple in which the Moolnayak Pratima (main deity’s idol) is of Shri 1008 Mahavir Bhagwan Ji. This pratima dates back to the Vikram Samvat year 1548.

“In the same Vedi, the divine and extraordinary pratima of Shri Chandraprabhu Bhagwan, made of red stone, expressing its divinity and uniqueness, which looks exceedingly ancient is also seated.”

Also enshrined in the Vedi are the idols of Shri 1008 Adinath Bhagwan Ji and Shri 1008 Parshvanath Bhagwan Ji, which were consecrated in the Vikram Samvat year 1326. The temple houses another celestial statue, filled with unparalleled beauty, which dates back to the time of the temple's construction and is very ancient. Over time, the symbol and inscriptions on this idol have eroded, making it difficult to determine which deity it represents. In 1976, an unidentified person from Palwal visited the temple. He claims to be a bricklayer and expresses his desire to donate bricks for the temple. The people present there became convinced and showed him around the entire temple. However, he never returned to the temple after that day. Approximately two months later, a theft occurred in the temple. At that time, there was no security arrangement in the temple. The thief comes at night and steals the Prachin pratima (ancient idol) of Shri Shitalnath Bhagwan, Shri Shantinath bhagwan and the idol of Shri Parshvanath bhagwan seated on the Vedi. When the Jain community learned about this incident, they were deeply saddened. Despite their efforts, the idols are not recovered. People suspect that the person who visited the temple might have come to inspect it for the theft. The Shikhar (spire on top) of the temple was constructed during the Mughal era. It is said that during that time, permission was not granted to build temple spires higher than the domes of mosques. Due to this reason, the Shikhar of the Bichhor temple is different from the Shikhar of modern temples. Ancient scriptures have also been securely preserved within the temple. Along with the local Jain community, families from distant areas who belong to the Jain community have a special reverence for the temple. Once, a member of the Jain community was distressed because his daughter's marriage was not getting fixed. He visited the temple and prayed earnestly in front of Shri Mahavir bhagwan’s idol, requesting that his daughter's marriage be solemnized. Shortly after, his daughter's marriage was successfully arranged.