Bhadresar

Vasai Jain Temple is believed to be one of the oldest Jain temples in India, although they have been renovated and rehabilitated from time to time.[2] It is said a Jain layman named Devchandra laid the foundation stone of this temple centuries ago.[3] In 13th century, the temple was renovated extensively by Jagdusha.[3] The temples have been destroyed many times due to natural calamities like earthquakes. The chronicles of Mistris of Kutch, mention that they were the architects and artisans, who renovated temples during the earthquakes of 1819, 1844–45 and 1875.[7][8][5][4]

In the former temple, the lower part was considered the oldest in age, perhaps about 1170. The temple complex was again completely devastated in earthquake of 26 January 2001; however, it has now been completely rebuilt to as many of the old shrines were destroyed to the extent that it could not be rehabilitated.[2][4][9][10]

The general plan is like that of the Dilwara Temples on mount Abu. It stands in a court about 48 feet wide by 85 long, surrounded by a row of forty-four shrines with a corridor in front. The temple stands in a courtyard, which, from the line of the temple front, is covered by three pillared domes. The temple, facing the east, is entered by a flight of steps that rise from the outer door to the covered area in front of the sanctuary. Over the porch is another large dome covering an area separated by a low screen wall from the area of the entrance hall, mandap, between it and the front of the temple itself. At the south-west corner and behind the cells on the left side is a row of chambers with cellars entered by lifting up flagstones in the floor. In the shrine are three white marble images. The central image is Ajitnath, the second of the Tirthankars, with the date 622 probably for Samvat 1622 or AD 1565. On his right is Parshwanath with the snake hood marked 1175 (Samvat 1232), and on his left Santinath, the 16th Tirthankar, also marked 1175 (Samvat 1232). On the extreme right is the image of the black or Shamla Parshwanath.[4]

The Shrine of Ibrahim, is locally known as Pir Lal Shahbaz Dargah, and is said to be that of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, whose shrine is actually located in the Pakistani city of Sehwan Sharif.[11][12] It is a small walled enclosure that has a square pyramid shaped dome. It is round in the inside and supported on eight pillars set against the wall. The roof of the porch is flat and divided into 9×3 small squares, each with lotus flowers inside. Round the architrave, above the vine-ornamented wall-head course, there is a deep line of Arab inscription in large square Kufic characters, and on the right end of the wall there are two lines of inscription. In the court some graves also have Kufic inscriptions. These epigraphs constructed in AH Dhi’l-hijja 554 (December 1159-January 1160 AD) marked the first use of Kufic script as well as the first epigraphic evidence of Muslim settlement in India.[4][13][12][14]

Duda stepwell

Chhoti Masjid is a very old mosque which is reliably dated to the late 12th century, meaning they predate the well known Islamic architecture of Ahmedabad by 250 years or so, making them in all likelihood the first mosques built in India.[2]

Ruins of mosque

Chokhanda Mahadev Temple; OPG power plant is visible in the background

On the south-west of Vasai Jain temple, there are ruins of another mosque known as Solahkhambhi Mosque which is partially buried in the sand and is no longer in use.

The original entrance is on the east side, within which is built a small chamber, apparently never finished. The porch is raised on eight pillars, with pilasters against the walls. At the back is a mehrab, a plain semi-circular recess, and two neat doors leading into an inner apartment, possibly a second place of prayer for a select number. It has four doors, two at each end. This mosque is built of pretty large stones, most accurately jointed, and all the roofs are of flat slabs. The doors have drips over them, and the two into the front apartment have semi-circular arches, the others lintels. The architraves are carved with neat veli or creeper patterns and with large flowers below. The pillars are square at the base, octagonal in the middle and circular above having bracket capitals above to support lintels which are 9 feet long. In the front of the mehrab are two rows of pillars in good condition followed by two rows of pillars with disturbed condition. It followed by a wall and four more rows of pillars and some other pillars, probably of porch.[4][12]

Duda Vav is a large and substantial though plain stepwell with a lintel about 17 feet 7 inches long by 2 feet 1 inches square. It was constructed by placing heavy blocks of stones on one another. The stepwell is now partially collapsed and is ruined. There was a dome of Shiva Temple near it in the 1850s. It was 15 feet 18 1⁄2 inches overall and the pillars are 1 foot 4 inches long.

[4]

There is also an ancient Shiva temple known as Chokhanda Mahadev situated at the seashore. This old temple was made with red stones. There is also the centuries-old Rokadiya Hanuman temple.