Osian Temples, Jodhpur

Osian is the best-known day trip from Jodhpur for temple architecture. The Mahavira Jain temple dates to 783 AD and the town has about 18 shrines.

Osian is an ancient oasis town in the Thar Desert, about 69 km by road north of Jodhpur, on a diversion off the Jodhpur–Bikaner highway. It is known for a cluster of ruined and surviving Hindu and Jain temples dating from the 8th to the 12th century, of which about 18 shrines are counted.

The town was a major religious centre of the Marwar kingdom under the Gurjara Pratihara dynasty and a trading centre at least as early as the Gupta period, until the armies of Muhammad of Ghor attacked it in 1195. The Mahavira Jain temple was built in 783 AD under Vatsaraja and is described as the oldest surviving Jain temple in Western India.

Its main structure is mostly 11th century, with an ornate gateway dated 1015 CE, and it is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Sachiya Mata temple stands northeast of it on a hill, and the Surya temple and the Katan Bawari stepwell are also among the shrines singled out for their architecture. No official hours or fees were found for the complex, so check locally. Osian is usually reached by a half-day or full-day taxi trip from Jodhpur.