Travel to Ranakpur

Ranakpur is located 98 Km from Udaipur, named after Rana Kumbha, is one of the five main holy places of the Jains.

*Its 500 years old temples are unique in their style & design, with no other place in Rajasthan having the same ambience and setting as that of Ranakpur.

*The most famous is the Chaumukha Temple sprawling over 48,000 sq.ft with 29 halls, 80 domes & 1,444 distinctively carved pillars.

*Another temple worth visiting is the Sun Temple having polygonal walls with impressive carvings of warriors, horses & splendid chariots.


¤ Ranakpur- A Jain pilgrimage Center

The Jain community and their temple building activities were always patronized by the ruling Mewar dynasty. Dhanna Shah, the founder of the temples at Ranakpur, had approached Rana Kumbha to ask for some land to build a temple. The Rana gladly agreed on one condition that the temple should bear his name. Hence the temple site on the banks of the river Maghai came to be known as Ranakpur and is one of the five main holy places of the Jains. The temples are over 500 years old but well preserved. It is really hard to decide who surpasses the other in beauty – the temples or the town. No other place in Rajasthan has the same ambience and setting as that of Ranakpur whose beauty has been emphasized by its isolation.

¤ The Temple Artistry
The temples in Ranakpur are quite unique in style and design. The ceilings of the temples are carved with fine, lace-like foliate scrollwork and geometric patterns. The domes are carved in concentric bands and the brackets connecting the base of the dome with the top are covered with figures of deities.
The 15th century Adishwar temple or the Chaumaukha temple built by Sheth Dhanna Shah is a fine structure. It is in the form of a Nalinigulm Vimana (heavenly aircraft) that Shah had seen in his dream. Designed by Dipa Shilpi it took 65 years (1367-1432) to erect and is the largest and most complex Jain temple in India. It also boasts of being one of the five most important holy shrines of the Jains.

¤ The Temple Foundation
The foundation of the temple was so made that three storeys with their several pavilions could be accommodated on the temple base itself. It is built on a high plinth, and has high boundary walls that’ll remind you of the fortified temple cities. Beautiful turrets rise from this wall and each of them relates to a cell on the inner face of the wall. Five spires (shikars) rise above the walls and about 20 cupolas each form the roof of a pillared hall. Each spire again has a shrine below, the largest and the most prominent is the one that surmounts the central altar.

¤ Temple Attractions
The temple has 29 halls, 80 domes and the pavilions include 1444 pillars, each of them so intricately and artistically carved that they’ll leave a lasting impression on you. The figures of dancing goddesses, beautifully engraved on these pillars are an absolute architectural wonder. The best feature about these pillars is that no two pillars are alike in design and sculptures. Not only the pillars but almost every surface is carved with great intricacy. As you go from one chamber to another you’ll realize that it does not conform to the traditional longitudinal plan as of Indian temples but follows a cruciformed one. This plan has four separate entrances, one on each side. Each of these then lead through a series of columned halls to a central arena and the sanctum which has the four faced white marble image of Lord Adinath. The first Jain saint Adinathji or Rishabhadev is surrounded by several other smaller shrines and domes. These are in turn surrounded by a Bhamati or range of cells for images, each of which has a roof of its own. Architects are of the opinion that this is probably one of the most complicated and extensive Jain temples in India and also the most complete for Jain sectarian rituals. The temple covers almost 48,000 sq ft with 29 halls and is also said to have 84 underground cells.

¤ Parshvanath Temple
The marble temple of Parshvanath, built in the mid-15th century lies quite near the Adishwar temple. It is also known as Patriyon ka Mandir and has a black stone image in its shrine. The altar with a compound tower borders the main sanctum on a stepped plan. Much of the temple has survived the onslaughts of time and weather including its Jain figures, attendant maidens and couples on the exterior walls. This temple is best known for its pierced stone windows with ornamental designs.

¤ Other Temple Attractions
Close to the Parshvanath temple there are two other temples, one dedicated to the 22nd saint Neminath and the other to Surya, the Sun God. The Surya Narain temple, built during the mid-15th century, has a tower over the altar and follows a circular plan due to its numerous wall projections. The base of the tower has small protruding nichés. The adjacent sanctum is laid out on an octagonal plan and has six protruding porches. The idol of the Sun God is really an artistic wonder. The temple is embellished with friezes of Surya (the Sun God) in his chariot drawn by seven horses.

¤ Ranakpur Temples- Marvels of Wonder

The Archaeological Department has excavates some fort ruins near these temples which might someday throw some light on the town of Ranakpur. The famed antiquarian Ferguson has described the Ranakpur temples as "I know of no other building in India, of the same class, that leaves so pleasing an impression or affords so many hints for the graceful arrangements of columns in an interior."