Aharji, Sacred Jain temple complex in Tikamgarh district, India.

Aharji is a Jain pilgrimage site in Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, centred on a main temple whose standing Shantinath image, 18 feet tall, carries an inscription dated 1180 AD. The temple was the last major one built here under the Chandellas, and several smaller temples were built at the same time.

The temple was built during the Chandella dynasty and contains inscriptions from 1180 mentioning 32 different Jain communities that funded its construction. Excavations show that multiple Chandella rulers added Jain images to the site over several centuries.

The Shantinath image carries a long inscription naming two brothers, Jahad and Udaichandra of the Grahapati community, who built the temple under the Chandella ruler Paramardhi, known as Raja Parmal in the Alha-Khand ballad. The sculptor was Papat, and the brothers descended from the builders of the Sahasrakuta temple at Banpur.

The temple sits about 25 kilometers from Tikamgarh town and is best visited during drier months when paths are easier to navigate. A local guide or information from the temple management can help you better understand the significance of different parts of the complex.

The Shantinath image carries a long inscription naming two brothers, Jahad and Udaichandra of the Grahapati community, who built the temple under the Chandella ruler Paramardhi (Raja Parmal of the Alha-Khand ballad). They descended from the builders of the Sahasrakuta temple at Banpur, and the sculptor was named Papat.