Ranakpur is a village located near Sadri town between Jodhpur and Udaipur, in the Pali district of Rajasthan and in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range. Ranakpur is easily accessed by road from Udaipur. The place is famous for its marble Jain temple, and for a much older Sun Temple which lies opposite the former. It is one of the five Jain pilgrimages. The main temple has a Chaumukha shrine dedicated to Adinathji, the first Jain tirthankara.

The dating of this temple is controversial but it is largely considered to be anywhere between the late 14th to mid-15th centuries. Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dhanna Shah, a Porwad, is said to have commissioned it, under the patronage of Rana Kumbha, then ruler of Mewar. In 1439, Deepaka, an architect, constructed the temple at the direction of Dharanka, a devoted Jain as per an inscription on a pillar near the main shrine

Architecture of Ranakpur Jain Temple

The temple is made of light colored marble and occupies an area of approximately 60 M x 62 M, with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and cupolas which rises majestically from the slope of a hill. Over 1444 marble pillars, carved in exquisite detail, support the temple. The pillars are all differently carved and no two pillars are the same. It is also said that it is impossible to count the pillars. Also all the statues face one or the other statue. There is one beautiful carving made out of a single marble rock where there 108 heads of snakes and numerous tails. One cannot find the end of the tails. The image faces all four cardinal directions. In the axis of the main entrance, on the western side, is the largest image. The columns are intricately carved having nymphs playing the flute, in various dance postures are a beautiful sight to behold. The assembly hall has two big bells weighing 108 kgs that are rung at said times.

The corridor around the temple has mandapas (porticoes) with various types of carved images. The temple has four small shrines, and rises to three storeys. The shrines have 80 spires supported by 420 pillars.

The main temple is faced by two other temples dedicated to Parasvanath and Neminath. These have exquisite figures similar to Khajuraho sculptures.
The temple is designed as chaumukha—with four faces. The construction of the temple and quadrupled image symbolize the Tirthankara's conquest of the four cardinal directions and hence the cosmos. Shri Chintamani Parsvanath Temple Bagol is only one to a special place in the historic Jain temples of world in Rajasthan.

Last Updated on Friday, 12 November 2010 23:35