Kanch Mandir

About Kanch Mandir

Kanch Mandir, the Temple of Glass, was built around 1903 by Seth Hukam Chand, an industrial pioneer and a leading figure in Indore's Jain community. He brought artisans from Jaipur and from Iran to carry out the construction and the ornamentation, which accounts for the unusual range of technique in a single small building.

The exterior gives nothing away. It presents as a medieval mansion, with a shikhara above and a canopied balcony on the front. The interior is the opposite: mirrors, glass panels and Chinese glass lamps cover the walls and ceiling, and the reflections multiply the small space endlessly. The structure and its ornament follow medieval and older Jain conventions, and idols of the Tirthankaras stand inside with mirrors set on either side of them.

What the glasswork covers

The mirrored interior

Walls, ceiling and columns are faced in mirror and glass panel, with Chinese glass lamps hung through the space. Stand still for a moment when you enter, because the room takes a few seconds to resolve. This is the reason the temple has its popular name.

The Tirthankara idols

Images of the Jain Tirthankaras are installed within, each with mirrors placed on both sides. The effect is deliberate rather than decorative: the reflections are part of how the shrine is meant to be experienced.

The facade and balcony

Outside, the shikhara and the canopied balcony belong to an older architectural vocabulary, and the building reads as a mansion rather than a temple. The contrast with the interior is the whole point of a visit.

Planning your visit

The temple sits in the dense older part of Indore, near Itwaria Bazaar, and is best approached on foot once you are in the area. It is small, and a visit is short.

• Leather items are generally not taken into Jain temples; ask at the entrance before going in.
• Footwear is removed outside.
• Photography inside is usually restricted, so check first rather than assume.
• Combine it with Rajwada, which is a short distance away in the same old-city grid.

Best time to visit

Visit in daylight, when the glass and mirror work has something to reflect. October to March is the comfortable season for walking the old-city lanes that lead to it. Avoid the middle of the afternoon in summer, when the surrounding streets are at their hottest.