Bhandasar Jain Temple — built with 40,000 kg of ghee for mortar.
Inside the warren of Bikaner's old city — most tourists do Junagarh + Karni Mata and leave; the climb to the upper floors is steep and the temple isn't on most coach itineraries.WHY NOBODY KNOWS
Built between the 15th and 16th centuries (the inscription dates ambiguously to VS 1521 / 1464 CE or possibly 1571), this three-storey Shvetambara temple dedicated to Sumatinatha (the 5th Tirthankara) was funded by Bhanda Shah, a wealthy ghee merchant. Legend: an architect mocked Bhanda Shah as kanjoos makhichoos ("stingy fly-squeezer") after watching him rub a ghee-soaked fly on his feet rather than waste it — so Bhanda Shah donated 40,000 kg of ghee, which workers mixed into the mortar instead of water. Locals insist the walls still seep clarified butter on hot summer days. The three storeys hold gold-leaf frescoes, mirror inlay, and the leaf paintings the temple is famous for.
