“At the time of Tipu Sultan’s attack, the idols and other belongings of this temple were hidden in a secret room built underground by the temple authorities at the time. The idols were discovered recently and many of the Mahaveer idols you see in this temple belong predates to that period,” says Praful Lodaya, a devotee who lives nearby the Jain temple. The age old temple, situated nearby the fourth railway gate, is one among the major landmarks of the city. The temple lights up the lives of more than 80 Jain families who reside close to the temple. There are the old and new temples in the same compound. Since all the Jains in the city belong to the Swethambara sect, the worshiping style is based on their beliefs which is more or like the Hindu style. In the older temple, the presiding deity is Paarasnath, who is the 23rd theerthankara and in the new temple, the presiding deity is Mahaveer, the last among the 24 theerthankaras. In the older temple there are many wooden crafted pillars and ceilings in which minute sculptures are seen. The idols in this temple as well as some of those seen in the new temple were excavated from the secret room. The new temple is a two storied and built in the year 1917. Mahaveer Jayanti and the eight day long annual festivals are the main events conducted at the temple. “The annual festival falls in the months of October- November every year. People will celebrate the festival by observing fast. Since Jainism is based on leading a simple life, eatables such as laddu, Jhangri will not being served at Jain temples. The priest will be from any of the Jain families residing nearby the temple,” said Harichand, a devotee at the temple. There are three different Jain colonies surrounding this temple. Kastoori Paramba, the colony housing nearly forty families is the biggest. The other two are apartment like structures. During the annual festival and Mahaveer Jayanti, the members of all the families get together at the temple. This time the Mahaveer Jayanthi was observed on April 24. “There is a Vaishno temple some meters away from the Jain temple. Our people even go there. Since all these people have the same mother tougue (Gujarati), food habits and dressing style co-exist in a small area, the worship culture has also been inter linked. This is the true spirit of co-existence,” said Harichand Bhai.