History

Historically, Tera was an estate (jagir

Jagir

In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...

) given by the rulers of Kutch to their brethren. Tera Jagir consisted of 41 villages, and was one of the largest jagirs of Kutch. Tera was given to one of sons of Rao Raydhan I during the reign of Deshalji I (1718–1741). During the reign of Lakhaji I (1741–1760), the Chief of Tera revolted against the ruler of Kutch. Rao Lakhaji I sent his troops to subdue the Chief, damaging the village. The Chief of Tera subsequently swore allegiance to Lakhaji once again and surrendered.

Notable buildings

The Darbar Gadh, the house of the Chief of Tera, still stands today. The house features original Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

 wall paintings, produced by kamanger painters; the paintings total 21.9 metres (71.9 ft) in length and 87 cm in width, and cover all four walls of the Chief's bedroom.

Tera Fort, located outside the village, is now a tourist attraction, and the Mahadev

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 temple of Pinglaswar is located 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) from Tera. Tera is also known for its Jain derasar

Derasar

A derasar is a temple for followers of Jainism, except for non-murtipujak Svetambaras. Derasar is a word used in Gujarat, Kutch and parts of Rajasthan, in other parts of India, the term Jain Mandir is used for all the Jain temples. Jain idols of Tirthankaras are worshipped there...

, which was rebuilt in 1859. It is one of the five Jain temples of Abdasa ni Panchtirthi, and was further refurbished in 1971.