Naya Mandir, Jain temple in Old Delhi, India

Naya Mandir is a Jain temple in the Dharampura locality of Old Delhi, built in 1807 by Raja Harsukh Rai, a treasurer in the Mughal Empire. It was the first Jain temple in Delhi to receive royal permission to add a shikhara, the tower-like spire that crowns the building. The temple houses a rare illustrated manuscript of the Maha-purana of Acharya Jinasena, dated to 1420 CE.

A treasurer in the Mughal court founded this temple in the early 19th century after obtaining permission from the emperor to construct it. The approval specifically allowed the addition of a shikhara, the traditional pointed spire structure that crowns Jain temples.

The name Naya Mandir, "New Temple", distinguishes it from the older Lal Mandir nearby. The temple was declared panchayati after Raja Harsukh Rai halted construction and asked the Agrawal Jain community for modest donations to finish it. Its library keeps a rare illustrated Maha-purana manuscript of Acharya Jinasena dated 1420 CE.

Visitors must remove their shoes before entering and should plan to visit during regular operating hours. The site sits within a short walk from Chandni Chowk metro station, making it easy to reach from other parts of the city.

Naya Mandir has a concealed chamber, a bhonyra, where statues of several Tirthankaras were kept. A visitor in 1876, who found the temple unknown to Europeans familiar with Delhi, persuaded its priest to open the chamber for him, revealing the large, richly ornamented figures inside.