Pune is a place of a combination of various religions. Jainism is one of them. There are many lavish Jain temples in the city. Let me take you to one of them to sooth your spiritual senses. This Jain temple is called Katraj Jain Mandir and the other name is Aagam Mandir (temple). It is very common in Jains to build their temples on high mountains. I do not know the exact reason but I saw most of their holy places almost 90 percent are on mountains. The Katraj Jain Temple is situated on a small hill on the Pune Satara highway in Katraj. From a distance you can see its beautifully carved top. You may not imagine how big this place is from down. It is one of the most popular divine temple of Jains’ in Pune.The main temple is surrounded by four small temples in the same premises having various idols of Jain gods. There are idols of Bhagwan Mahaveer, Bhagwan Parshwnath and godess Padmavati. The detailed description of some of the idols is as under:Idol of MahaveerWeight – 5000kgHeight – 12 feetSitting position – Padmasana (Kamalasana)Idol of ParshwnathWeight – 3000 kgHeight – 8 feetSitting position – PadmasanaThe background is carved in silver – golden metal that shows some of the lifecycles of the idol. The temple is an unimaginably clean unlike other Hindu temples. The devotees make Swastik of rice on the tables in front of God. The carvings inside and outside the temple is awesome and makes us to remember the ancient period of superior artwork. On all the walls on outer temples some Jain scripts (stotra) are written in Pali and Prakrit languages. The environment is so peaceful and fresh that you would love to meditate here. At night lights inside the temple are switched off and special candles are lit that make the golden idols more lively and beautiful that you may want to gaze them for the entire night.There are some rules for visitors and devotees like:• Do not wear black clothes.• Eatables are not allowed inside the temple.• Ladies are not allowed to wear indecent clothes inside the temple.• Leather purse and belts are not allowed.There is a bhojanshala (food mess) in the premises. Pure vegetarian Jain food is served here. Again the timings are fixed and strict. Bhojanshala is closed before sunset. Food served here is simple but very delicious and can be taken by buying a pass of just Rs.40. there are plenty of rooms available to stay here for devotees.The view from this place is spectacular as you can see quite a good part of Pune from here including Katraj Lake. There is a Jal Mandir (Water Temple) when you come out of the Aagam Mandir. Actually there are two ways to reach Jal Mandir one from outside and the other from inside the Aagam temple. This temple is surrounded by Water body and is a replica of Pavapuri Jal Mandir. This is very beautiful temple. In this temple an idol of God Mahaveer is placed in the centre with foot prints while outside the main temple idols of goddess Laxmi and goddess Sarasvati are placed on the right and left side respectively.You feel extremely touched when you visit such pure places. It is not necessary to be a Jain to visit these temples. Anybody can come and indulge into Gods prayers. The doors are open for all caste and religions. There are hundreds of visitors come on weekends from Mumbai, Pune and nearby areas. This sacred place make you realise how close to God you can go and connect. I loved the peace, calm and cleanliness of the place. It is a must visit while exploring Pune. There are regular buses from other parts of city to Katraj. It is quite an easy location to find.You may also be interested in other Jain temples in Pune. Some of them are listed below:Mahavir Jain Temple:H.N.D. Jain Boarding, Model Colony,Near Om Super Market, Pune.Phone: 25656094 Shewatamber Jain Mandir:A-2, Kumar Society, Vishrant Wadi,Alandi Road,Pune – 411015. Mahavir Jain Temple:Opp. Gometesh Vyayamshala,Near Ayurvedic College, Sec. 25, Nigadi,Phone: 27659021 Shree Digamber Jain Chaityalya:Rajkumar Ji Doshi, Gajraj Cloth Shop,M.G. Road, Camp Area,Phone: 65220675 Shantinath Digamber Saitwal Jain Mandir:846, Lonar Aali, Near Moti Chowk, Ravivar Peth,Pune-411002 Shree Mahaveer Digamber Jain Temple:Near Trupti Auto Service Center,Behind Brahma Veg. Restaurant, Manik Baug Ruchi Mahajan