Ranakpur is located in the mountain ranges of Pali district, Rajasthan 23 kms away from the Phalna railway station. Ranakpur is situated between lush green valleys and beautiful streams and the heart capturing views. It is home to a very beautiful temple complex in the Aravali ranges. The place is well connected through a road network to other places in the region. Ranakpur in Rajasthan, India has one of the biggest and most important Jain temple complexes of India, covering an area nearly 4500 square yards, and having 29 halls. Located about 200 km from Jodhpur, Ranakpur is one of the five most important pilgrimage sites of Jainism. Chaumukha temple is dedicated to Lord Adinath, the first ‘Tirthankara.
About The Jain Temple in Ranakpur :
Ranakpur Jain Temple is famous for its excellent sculptures and architecture. Surrounded by the Aravali hills and located on the banks of ‘Magai’ river this grand & gigantic four facet structures was erected in the 14th Century. The Temple is three storied, 102 ft. high and its spread over an area of 48000 sq. ft. The present structure of the temple came into being after the hard works of 50 years by various artisans & sculptors. the land of this temple which situated at the foot hill of ‘Madri hills’ was gifted by Maharana Kumbha of Mewar. Along with this temple a small town, about 2 kms. from the temple also came into existence. this town got its name from ‘Rana’ & was named ‘Ranpur’ which later came to be known as ‘Ranakpur’. The temple is dedicated to the first Jain Teerthkar ‘Lord Adinath’. it is built on high platform, which has about nine basement. it has 84 idols of gods and demi gods., 1444 pillars elaborately and beautifully decorated along with 4 ‘Megh Mandaps’. surrounding the main temple there are small shrines of Lord ‘Parshwanath’,’Neminath’& ‘Surya Narayan’.
History of Jain Temple in Ranakpur :
The Ranakpur Jain temples were built during the region of the liberal and gifted monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. It is said that inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dhanna Shah have commissioned it, under the patronage of Rana Kumbha, then ruler of Mewar. Rana Kumbha donated a vast stretch of land to Dhanna Shah so as to enable him to realize his dream of building a great temple. The architect who oversaw the project is said to have been named Deepaka. There is an inscription on a pillar near the main shrine stating that in 1439 Deepaka, an architect, constructed the temple at the direction of Dharanka, a devoted Jain.
Architecture of Jain Temple in Ranakpur :
The Ranakpur pilgrimage is a temple complex having very beautiful and distinct Jain temples. The ceilings of the temples are decorated with geometric patterns and foliate scrollwork. The brackets which join the top and the bottom of the dome are pictures of deities installed on them. The most important temple of this pilgrimage is the Chaumukh temple or in other words the four-faced temple. The temple is devoted to Lord Adinath also known by the name Lord Rishabhdev. The main temple consists of four other shrines, 80 domes and 24 pillared halls all of which are supported by almost 1444 columns. Each column is carved distinctly and interestingly; none of the two columns have designs which resemble each other. An amazing fact of the columns is that they change color from golden to pale blue as the time passes during the day. In his vision the businessman had seen the temple in the shape of a heavenly aircraft or in other words in the shape of a Nalinigulm Vimana and hence it was constructed in the same shape.
Other Jain temples near Ranakpur:
Sadri: The Varahavtar temple and the Chintamani Parashvanath temple are located in Sadri which is 8 km from Ranakpur pilgrimage.
Desuri: There are two important Jain temples in this village. The first one is the Muchhal Mahavir temple which is located in the Kumbhalgarh sanctuary. The temple is well-known for the idol of Lord Mahavir with a moustache. The second is the Jain Golden temple which is located in the nearby Falna village. This is the first temple which was built by the Jain community. The interesting part is that during the building of this temple the women of the Jain community donated gold weighing 90 kg.
Location of the Jain Ranakpur Temple :
Ranakpur is located near Sadri town in the mountain ranges of Pali district, 23 km away from the Phalna railway station of Rajasthan in western India. Ranakpur is reached after passing lush green valleys and streams and the heart capturing views drive away any fatigue of the journey. The location of Ranakpur, in the tranquil valley of the Aravalli range, 90 km from Udaipur, has also been responsible in attracting a whole lot of visitors to the city. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur, in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range. Ranakpur is easily accessed by road from Udaipur.
Facts of the Jain Ranakpur Temple in Rajasthan :
This temple was nominated as one of the top 77 Wonders of the World in the contest for the new, “seven wonders of the world” in the year 2007.
Climate :
Mean Max. Mean Min.
Summer: 42.0 degree C 22.0 degree C
Winter: 20.0 degree C 10.6 degree C
Rainfall : 55 cm
Best Season : Sept. – March
Clothing :
Summer light tropical
Winter light woollen
Languages : English, Hindi, Rajasthani.
Location:In Ranakpur, near Sadri town, in the Pali district of Rajasthan
Built by:Seth Dharna Sah with the aid from Rana Kumbha
Built in:15th centuryDedicated to:Lord Adinatha
Highlights:Intricate architecture
Significance:One of the five major Jain pilgrimage sites
How to reach:One can easily reach Ranakpur Temples from Udaipur city by taking regular Buses or by hiring Taxis