While at the gorgeous Mountbatten Lodge I visited the renowned Jain temple at Ranakpur. Dharna Shah, a local Jain business person, started construction of the temple in the 15th century following a divine vision. The temple honours Adinath, the first Tirthankar of the present half-cycle according to Jain cosmology.
The milk-white marble temple complex is one of the five great holy places of Jain faith. The grand scale and architectural complexity of the temple along with its exquisite sculptural ornamentation makes it the single most impressive example of Indian temple architecture.
These temples form one of the five major pilgrimages of the Jains. Located in village of Ranakpur near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan, Ranakpur temple lies at a distance of 95 kms in the north of Udaipur city. The temple is easily accessible from the city of Udaipur as regular buses are easily available.
Ranakpur Temples are acclaimed world-wide for their intricate and superb architectural style. This temple complex is positioned in an isolated valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range. The Jain Temples of Ranakpur are certainly creditable for their splendid architecture. This temple is wholly constructed in light coloured marble and comprises a basement covering an area of 48000 square feet.
There are more than 1400 exquisitely carved pillars that support the temple and no two are alike. Each of the temple’s pillars is carved with intricate detail portraying people, elephants geometrical patterns and floral motifs. The play of light and shadows on the pillars as the sun moves is one of the glories of this monument.
The most outstanding feature of this temple is that no matter which direction you look, the pillars, whether big, small, broad, narrow, ornate or plain, none of them obstructs the view of the pilgrim wishing to have a glimpse of God. From any corner of the temple one can easily view the Lord’s image.
Ranakpur Temple, one of the most beautiful temples in India. It makes a perfect day trip if you are travelling between Udaipur and Jodhpur. The temple is so beautiful from the outside but once inside I was amazed and surprised with the beauty and serenity of the temple environment.
