Modern Design Meets Jain Tradition
Raj Sabhagruh, designed by Serie Architects, stands as a contemporary homage to Jain architecture in Dharampur, Gujarat. Nestled atop a 100-hectare monastery, this 16,000-square-metre space fosters spirituality through its facilities for discourse, study, meditation, and rest.
Key highlights include a 5,000-seat auditorium, a 300-capacity meditation hall, and a 1,000-square-metre museum celebrating Jain heritage. Inspired by the Jain Samavasaran temple, the building’s design symbolizes spiritual ascent and knowledge acquisition.
Hand-Chiselled Bricks and Circular Aesthetics
The structure features interlocking concrete walls, clad in 800,000 small, hand-chiselled white marble bricks from Makrana. This meticulous craftsmanship creates stunning light-and-shadow effects throughout the day. Deep-set circular windows enhance natural lighting, while the building’s 36 elevations highlight its sculptural elegance.
The main discourse hall boasts a 54-metre-wide, column-free space, its acoustic baffles echoing the ceilings of traditional Jain Maha-mandapas. Above it, the 20-metre-tall meditation hall, adorned with over 1,000 glowing marble pins, acts as a luminous “lantern,” visible from afar.
Sacred Spaces and Community Design
Ascending through the building, visitors journey from the discourse hall to the museum, classrooms, and finally the meditation hall, reflecting the path of spiritual enlightenment. The surrounding plaza, crafted from white marble and shaded by ficus trees, includes a dining hall and an open-air amphitheatre.
Raj Sabhagruh seamlessly integrates modern design with timeless spiritual values, marking it as a masterpiece in contemporary religious architecture.
