Oshwal Centre Jain Temple

About

The Jain Derasar (Temple), of the Śvetāmbara branch of Jainism, is located within the Oshwal Center in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. England. The Derasar was built by the Oshwal Association of the UK (OAUK). The association had purchased the estate in 1980 and the temple was consecrated in 2005. It is considered to be the first traditional shikharbandhi Jain temple in Europe. The temple's carved stonework was produced in sections in India and transported to the UK for assembly. Julia Hegewald, an art historian, compares the Potters Bar temple with Oshwal temples in East Africa (Nairobi and Mombasa). All three temples employ the Māru-Gurjara architectural style of western India. The style has since become associated with Jain temple architecture in the diaspora.