The Jains are interesting in that they are perhaps the most enthusiastic about giving up all worldly possessions of any religious group in India. I'll go into that further on.
Jains are also really into non-violence, holding all life sacred. Killing or harming another human is abhorent, and is considered really like killing one's self. But all life is held sacred. And some Jains sweep walkways before walking, so they don't actually step on insects and kill them. They also decline eating root crops such as radishes and potaoes because these are considered homes for very small life forms, like microbes.
All of which sounds absurd to the Western way of thinking. On the other hand, as best as I know, Jains have never taken it upon themselves to kill folks, or gone to war in the name of god, which every Western or Middle Eastern religion has done on numrous occasions.
Anyway, these are photos from the six Jain Temples in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. All of it rather dark and mysterious.
The Jain Temples are located inside the Golden Fort. They are quite old, having been built from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Right now today they are in continuous use as Jains pray in them continuously, except when they are opened for the general public to look at a couple hours a day.
