Shankheshwar Parshvanath Jain Temple
Jain Temple of Antwerp · Jaïntempel van Antwerpen · Temple jaïn d'Anvers · JCCA Derasar
About
Rising from the quiet streets of Wilrijk, a district of Antwerp in Belgium, the Shankheshwar Parshvanath Jain Temple carries a singular distinction: no other Jain place of worship exists anywhere on mainland Europe. Spanning a floor area of one thousand square metres, it also holds the distinction of being the largest Jain Temple found beyond the shores of India.
The Temple is consecrated to Parshvanath, revered in the Jain tradition as the twenty-third Tīrthaṅkara, one of the liberated souls whose teachings illuminate the path of non-violence, truth, and spiritual liberation. Pilgrims and visitors arriving here encounter an interior whose atmosphere is shaped by centuries-old devotional aesthetic carried faithfully from the Indian subcontinent.
The entire structure is rendered in white marble, its design drawing directly on the canons of classical Jain Temple architecture. That visual language, intricate carved stonework, serene proportions, luminous pale stone, speaks of ahiṃsā and contemplative refinement. Alongside the devotional spaces, the Temple maintains an information centre devoted to Jainism, welcoming those who come in curiosity as warmly as those who come in prayer.
History
The Jain community of Antwerp resolved to build a proper Derasar in December 1991, and marble carving began in India in 1990 under the architect Shri Vinubhai Sompura. The finished stonework was dismantled piece by piece, shipped to Belgium, and raised again in Wilrijk, with the Anjan Shalaka consecration of the murtis performed on 31 January 2007. The Temple's Pratishtha, its grand inauguration, was celebrated on 27 August 2010, opening a permanent home for Jain worship in continental Europe.
Significance
For Jain families scattered across Europe, this Temple is the one consecrated place where Paryushana can be observed and where the murtis of Shri Shankheshwar Parshvanath, Vasupujya Swami, Adinath, Munisuvrat Swami, and Mahavir Swami receive daily puja far from the land where the tirthankaras walked. Its attached information centre carries the Jain principle of ahimsa outward, welcoming the curious as warmly as the devout.
Architecture
Traditional Śvetāmbara Jain Temple architecture in white marble, carved in India under architect Shri Vinubhai Sompura and reassembled in Belgium
Visiting
Daily worship
| Morning puja (weekdays) | 06:39 to | |
| Morning puja (weekends and holidays) | 07:15 to | |
| Evening aarti (daily) | 20:00 to | |
| Temple open (weekday mornings) | 06:00 to 11:30 | |
| Temple open (evenings, daily) | 18:30 to 20:15 |
Hours
Hours not listed.
Contact
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Engage with Shankheshwar Parshvanath Jain Temple
Through the four pathways
Seva सेवा — Service
Offer your time and skills here. The following opportunities are open at Shankheshwar Parshvanath Jain Temple:
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Sādhana साधना — Practice
Learn the worship and practice associated with Shankheshwar Parshvanath Jain Temple:
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Sandhāna सन्धान — Wisdom
Unite with the wisdom of this tradition:
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Sādhya साध्य — Giving
Support this sacred place according to your means:
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All giving flows directly to Shankheshwar Parshvanath Jain Temple. Adisthan does not take a commission.
Festivals & Events
- Sept
Paryushana Parva
8 September 2026 · annual
The most sacred period of the Śvetāmbara Jain year, eight days of fasting, self-restraint, and the reading of the Kalpa Sutra, closing on Samvatsari, the day of universal forgiveness.
- Apr
Mahavir Jayanti
18 April 2027 · annual
The birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara, marked at the Temple with special puja.
Gallery
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