The Ranakpur Jain Temple Complex - An Architectural Wonder of India

[rajkumar]

Located in Ranakpur village in the Rajasthan district of Pali, Ranakpur Jain Temple Complex is one of the seven wonders of India, very famous among people of Jain communities and architecture lovers. Dedicated to Adinatha (also known as Rishabha, the founder of Jainism and the first of the 24 tirthankara. Considered to be the most spectacular of the Jain temples, because of its architectural brilliance the temple is extremely popular with tourists. The architectural beauty of the temple never fails to lure visitors coming from different parts of the world.

The temple is beautifully constructed using light colored marble and noted for its distinctive domes, pillars, shikhara, turrets and cupolas. It rises majestically from the slope of a hill of the Aravali range. The distinctive feature of the temple complex is it is supported by 1444 marble pillars, carved in beautiful detail. All pillars are differently carved and it is impossible to find even any two pillars are same. Another feature is there are various statues here and all statues face one or the other statues. Here you will also see a beautiful carving made out of a single marble rock depicting 108 heads of snakes and numerous tails. It is said that it is impossible to find the end of the tails. The Ranakpur temple complex is designated as Chaumukha – with four faces.

Visiting the Jain temple complex at Ranakpur in Rajasthan would be a great experience especially for architecture lovers. So, if you are on India tours and going to visit Rajasthan then do not forget to see this magnificent Jain temple at Ranakpur. You can easily reach Ranakpur from Jodhpur, Mount Abu, Udaipur and Ahmedabad. The nearest airport is at Udaipur.



photos: lapidim, Antoine Taveneaux