Is temple darshan introduced by tirthankaras
Short answer: No, not in the form we see today.
In Jain siddhānt:
- Tirthankaras did not build stone temples or install murtis the way we have today (marble idols, shikhars, dharamshalas, etc.).
- A Tirthankara’s main work is:
- attaining keval‑jñān,
- establishing the fourfold saṅgh (sādhus, sādhvīs, śrāvaks, śrāvikās),
- giving deshnā (discourses) and showing the path of liberation.
Then how did “temple darshan” come?
- What is from Tirthankaras’ time:
- deep
devotion (bhakti) toward Arihants and Siddhas
-
vandana / namaskār / chaitya‑paripāṭī (going to holy places, bowing to them)
- After Tirthankaras’ nirvāṇa,
- Later śrāvaks, kings, and Āchāryas started
building Jinalayas / derasars as permanent places:
- to keep Jina‑murti for remembrance,
- to do
darshan, puja, svādhyāy, pratikraman, samayik, etc.
- So the concept “pay respect to Arihant–Siddha” is original,
but
the physical system of marble temples and daily darshan as we see now is a later, śrāvak‑developed tradition, not directly “introduced” by any Tirthankara.
Digambar / Shvetambar view
- worship of Jina and visiting chaityas is very old and dharmic,
- but present‑day temple styles, rituals, and detailed vidhis are
post‑Tirthankara developments based on āgams, commentaries, and ācāryas’ maryādā.
If you want, you can also see a simple explanation of why to go to temple (derasar) and how darshan helps in Jain spiritual life here: