Founded in the 1930s by charismatic Jain teacher Kanji Swami (1890-1980), Songadh temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Digambar Jains. Kanji Swami spent many years of his life at the location, and it is part of a larger circuit of Jain pilgrimage sites in Gujarat. One of the most important temples in the complex is the svadhyaya mandir (self-study temple) consecrated in 1937. The internal walls of this temple are entirely covered with sacred writings of Kundakunda. Followers of Kanji Swami were amongst the founding members of the Jain Center of Greater Phoenix, underscoring a strong connection between the diasporic community of Jains in Arizona to the Songadh temple.
Songadh Jain Temple, 1937
- Created: 1937