Jain temples in India , have been spectacular, especially the Ancient ones built a few hundred or few thousand years before.
Every Jain temple has a unique pattern , Deravasi Shwetambar jains and the Digambar jains have different patterns in the internal architecture as well as the idol pattern.
Ranakpur jain temple is a place of worship for the Shwetambar Deravasi murtipujak jains.
Ranakpur is a village located in Desuri tehsil near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan in western India. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur. 165 kms from Jodhpur and 90 kms from Udaipur, in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range. The Nearest Railway Station to reach Ranakpur is Falna Railway station , which is well connected to all the major cities in India by rail.
It is home to one of the biggest and most important Jain temple complexes of India, covering an area of nearly 48,000 square feet area, and has 29 halls, 80 domes and supported by 1444 marble pillars, each of them intricately and artistically carved, yet no two of them are alike.
The temple construction is said to have begun in the year 1446 and the idols were installed in 1496, after about fifty years of construction. The construction followed for fifteen more years after installing the idols and it took 65 years in total to complete the entire temple construction, which was unprecedented in history.
One might get surprised at the sight of the inscribed nymphs playing flute in different dance poses at a height of 45 feet. Another piece of attraction is a stunning marble piece which has 108 snake-heads and various tails carved into it with such intricacy that it is impossible to find the end of the tails. Apart from this, another amazing fact about these pillars is that their color changes from golden to pale blue as the light falls on them.
One of the most amazing features of this incredible temple architecture , is that even though in the scorching summer heat outside , there is a sudden drop in temperature as soon as you enter the temple and feel relatively pleasant.
The marble carvings , the incredible architecture and the serenity of the place will leave you spellbound and awestruck !
IT is said that when the Mughal Emperor Akbar went to this temple, he was so mesmerized with the temple's sheer beauty that he engraved his message on one of the pillars. The message says that no one is allowed to destroy this architectural gem under any circumstances. This temple was also nominated among the top seventy seven wonders by the committee designated to elect the Seven Wonders of the World.
Certainly , This is one of the greatest legacies of jainism and the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan ! If you are a Jain , certainly you will have an amazing time praying and doing sewa-Puja rituals in this magnificient monumental temple. And for others just soak in the extravagance and the splendour of one of the grandest spectacle in the Royal Rajasthan !
Haldighati is one nearby places to visit if you plan a tour to Ranakpur.
Kumbhalgarh is about 14 kms from Ranakpur , Jalore Wildlife Sanctuary is about 77 kms and Udaipur city is 66 kms from Ranakpur.
I am not posting too many pictures from of the Temple as they are widely available on many websites on the internet.
Hope you have a great visit !
Jai Jinendra ! Jai Adinath !
Every Jain temple has a unique pattern , Deravasi Shwetambar jains and the Digambar jains have different patterns in the internal architecture as well as the idol pattern.
Ranakpur jain temple is a place of worship for the Shwetambar Deravasi murtipujak jains.
Ranakpur is a village located in Desuri tehsil near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan in western India. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur. 165 kms from Jodhpur and 90 kms from Udaipur, in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range. The Nearest Railway Station to reach Ranakpur is Falna Railway station , which is well connected to all the major cities in India by rail.
It is home to one of the biggest and most important Jain temple complexes of India, covering an area of nearly 48,000 square feet area, and has 29 halls, 80 domes and supported by 1444 marble pillars, each of them intricately and artistically carved, yet no two of them are alike.
The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built by a wealthy Jain businessman named Dharma Shah under the patronage of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. Dharma Shah had a celestial vision that left in his heart a burning determination to build a temple in honor of Adinath, the founder of the Jain religion. When Dharma Shah approached Rana Kumbha with his plan, the king not only gave him a plot of land to build the temple but also advised him to build a township near the site. The construction of the temple and the township began simultaneously. The town was named Ranakpur after the King Rana Kumbha.
The large complex of the temple houses Chaumukha Adinath temple (First tirthankar Bhagwan Shri Adinath also called as Bhagwan RishabhDev), 23rd Tirthankar Bhagwan Shri Parsvanath temple,22nd Tirthankar Bhagwan Shri Neminath temple, Amba Mataji temple and Lord Surya temple also. Amongst all these, Chaumukha temple, shaped like a Nalinigulm Vimana (Heavenly Aircraft), is a major attraction and is dedicated to the first Tirthankara of Jains Rishabdev, also called Adinath. The Neminath temple honours the 22nd Tirthankara Neminath and the Parsvanath temple, also called 'Patriyon Ka Mandir', is devoted to the 23rd Tirthankara. The Surya temple, dedicated to Sun God, shows an idol of Lord Surya driving his chariot of seven horses.The temple construction is said to have begun in the year 1446 and the idols were installed in 1496, after about fifty years of construction. The construction followed for fifteen more years after installing the idols and it took 65 years in total to complete the entire temple construction, which was unprecedented in history.
One might get surprised at the sight of the inscribed nymphs playing flute in different dance poses at a height of 45 feet. Another piece of attraction is a stunning marble piece which has 108 snake-heads and various tails carved into it with such intricacy that it is impossible to find the end of the tails. Apart from this, another amazing fact about these pillars is that their color changes from golden to pale blue as the light falls on them.
One of the most amazing features of this incredible temple architecture , is that even though in the scorching summer heat outside , there is a sudden drop in temperature as soon as you enter the temple and feel relatively pleasant.
The marble carvings , the incredible architecture and the serenity of the place will leave you spellbound and awestruck !
IT is said that when the Mughal Emperor Akbar went to this temple, he was so mesmerized with the temple's sheer beauty that he engraved his message on one of the pillars. The message says that no one is allowed to destroy this architectural gem under any circumstances. This temple was also nominated among the top seventy seven wonders by the committee designated to elect the Seven Wonders of the World.
Certainly , This is one of the greatest legacies of jainism and the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan ! If you are a Jain , certainly you will have an amazing time praying and doing sewa-Puja rituals in this magnificient monumental temple. And for others just soak in the extravagance and the splendour of one of the grandest spectacle in the Royal Rajasthan !
Haldighati is one nearby places to visit if you plan a tour to Ranakpur.
Kumbhalgarh is about 14 kms from Ranakpur , Jalore Wildlife Sanctuary is about 77 kms and Udaipur city is 66 kms from Ranakpur.
I am not posting too many pictures from of the Temple as they are widely available on many websites on the internet.
Hope you have a great visit !
Jai Jinendra ! Jai Adinath !
