Ranakpur Jain Temple is located in village of Ranakpur near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan. The temple lies at a distance of 95 kms in the north of Udaipur city. Ranakpur Temples are renowned worldwide for their architectural excellence and form one of the five major pilgrimages of the Jains. The temple located in the tranquil valley of the Aravalli range is one of the biggest and most important clusters of Jain temples in India.
Ranakpur Jain Temple History
The temple is said to have been built by Seth Dharna Shah (a Jain businessman) on a vast scratch of land donated by Rana Kumbha, who ruled Mewar in the 15th century. According to a legend, Dharna Shah dreamed of a celestial vehicle. He approached Rana Kumbha the then ruler of Mewar to ask for some land to construct temples. Temples in Ranakpur were constructed in 1439 and were named after Rana Kumbha. The architect who oversaw the project is said to have been named Deepaka. Due to the intricacy of the structure it took 65 years to erect this gigantic temple complex. Today, these temples attract thousands of visitors every year from India as well as abroad.
About Ranakpur Jain Temple
The temple complex of Ranakpur is situated in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli hills between Jodhpur and Udaipur. Light coloured marble from the quarries of Sonana and Sewadi was used for the construction. This temple complex comprises of a basement covering an area of astounding 48000 sq feet. The foundation of the temple was laid in such a way that the three stories’ with their several pavilions could be accommodated on the temple base itself. Typical of Jain architecture the huge temple complex is enclosed within walls.
In the complex, there are several temples including Chaumukha temple, Parsavanath temple, Amba Mata Temple and Surya Temple.
Built in marble, the temple boasts of four subsidiary shrines, 29 pillared halls and 80 domes standing on the support of nearly 400 columns. The halls are supported by more than 1,400 pillars. A notable peculiarity about the pillars is that no two pillars are exactly alike. The symmetry of the pillars is such that you get a glimpse of god from wherever you’re standing inside the temple. The columns change colour from golden to pale blue with the passage of every hour during the day. A series of brackets connect the upper and lower parts of the domes. These brackets have sculptures of deities on their surface. The artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an awe-inspiring sight. Two gigantic bells each weighing a 108 kg are situated in the assembly hall.
Amongst all of them, Chaumukha Temple is the most important and as the term Chaumukha suggests, this temple is four-faced. The Chaumukha temple, or Four Faced Temple, is the main temple in the complex that dates back to the 15th century though the date is often debated. Chaumukha temple is dedicated to Lord Adinath, who is the first 'Tirthankara' of the Jains. The Temple has four different doorways facing each of the cardinal directions to get into the chambers. These chambers ultimately take you to the main hall where the image of Adinath is positioned. The image is surrounded by many small shrines and domes. From outside one can see five spires each covering the shrine below, the largest covering the central shrine which houses the Chaumukha. Surrounding the spires ate the cupolas. Around 20 cupolas rise from roof of the pillared hall. The temple ceilings are festooned with beautiful scroll work and geometric patterns.
Chaumukha temple is formed like a Nalinigulm Vimana (heavenly aircraft) that the Shah had seen in his dreams and gives this whole structure a celestial look.
Two other temple worth visiting in the complex are the ones dedicated to Parsavanath and Surya God. Parsavanath is also known as the Patriyon Ka Mandir and is renowned for its engraved windows embellished with Jain figures and pictures of attendants of maidens. In close proximity to this temple there are two other temples dedicated to Neminath (22nd saint) and Surya Narayan (Sun God) respectively. Here, Surya Narayan Temple is an ancient temple the walls of which are also intricately carved with warriors, heroes and the Sun God in his magnificent horse driven chariot. The sight of Lord Surya driven in his chariot of seven horses is truly pleasing.
No other place in Rajasthan has the same ambience and setting as that of Ranakpur. The structural grandeur of the whole massive edifice of the temple coupled with the superb beauty of art and architecture attracts huge tourists as well as pilgrims from far and wide. The temple’s bhojanalay or canteen, next to the grand entrance of the compound serves food twice a day.
How to Reach Ranakpur
Ranakpur is situated around 90 km north of Udaipur in Pali district. The town of Ranakpur is well connected to all other towns and cities in the state of Rajasthan. The nearest airport is Maharana Pratap Airport at Dabok, Udaipur, which is situated at a distance of about 105kms. The airport in Udaipur is a major domestic airport which has frequent flights to the cities of Delhi and Mumbai. The nearest railway station is Falna, which is about 35kms away from Ranakpur. Falna is well connected by trains from all the major cities of the country. Deluxe bus services are available to the town of Ranakpur from Udaipur.