Naya Mandir and the Saraogis of Delhi

This is a late 19^th century image of the Naya Mandir, a Jain temple in Shahjahanabad. The temple is located in the locality of Dharampura and with its ornate facade and intricate designs, it was a ‘must-see’ on the tourist trail. While this picture above was taken by a visitor (therefore the angle), the Naya Mandir also featured on postcards of Delhi (see below).

 

A quick Google search will tell you it was built by Harsukh Rai, Emperor Akbar Shah’s treasurer in 1807. However, the Naya Mandir is closely tied to the changing fortunes of Delhi’s Jain community and their first ‘street processions’. In the Delhi State Archives, there is a set of documents on the first ever Jain Rath Yatra (chariot procession) in Delhi which relates to the former.

 

Delhi’s Jains (referred to as Sarogis in the sources) were never allowed a Rath Yatra on its principal streets such as Chandni Chowk during the Mughal era. This was because the main streets were reserved for Dussehra (Hindu) and Muharram (Muslim) festivities. When Harsukh Rai, the treasurer tried to take one out to inaugurate his temple, it was shut down by the Mughals. In a nutshell, the Mughals followed a ‘street hierarchy’ where only Hindus and Muslims (the two largest groups) would have the right to their festivities on the main streets. This was to maintain the status quo and avoid any new group however wealthy (the Jains were both), from upsetting the ritual and spatial order in Delhi. 

 

However, with the Rebellion of 1857, everything changed. Since the Mughals were gone, the Jains petitioned the British rulers and were given, for the first time, the right to hold their procession in a place like Chandni Chowk. Now, this wasn’t some benevolent gesture but came out of inchoate governmental responses that the Jains exploited ruthlessly. There were disagreements with British officials, disputes with Hindus and all sorts of squabbling over the processions and festivities for quite a long time. 

 

Anyhow, the first ever Jain Rath Yatra began in 1877 with great fanfare. The route took the Sarogis through Chandni Chowk and the procession ended at the Naya Mandir. Here is the second image as a postcard.