The Ranakpur Temple or Ranakpur Jain Temple as I like to call it, was known to me as one of the seven wonders of India, twin brother of Dilwara Temple of Mount Abu, a must visit and so on and so forth. As I walked into its precinct, I knew a demand would be made on my intellectual capacities. I was ready for it, for the history, for the enlightened souls that gave the world Jainism. What choice did I have? Every element visible and invisible reverberated legends of vision and victory of good and bad of penance and salvation. The outside of the temple is a contrast from inside; rising above a lofty hill, towering the nearby hills of Aravali it stands out not for its youth but for its symmetry and character. The faded stone stricture of grey and beige looks older than its surroundings and draws you inside it like water drawn by the mouth of a whale. The sound inside the audio device eloquently takes you back to 15th century even before you enter the temple.
A flight of high stairs lead your shoe-less feet to the main entrance of the temple, which is a king's throne guarded by two monsters on either side. The visionary of the temple was patronised by king Kumbha of kumbalgarh, the Shiv temple ( main temple) in Kumbalgarh has a similar entrance too. They believed that a temple is like a king's throne and needs protection from evil by none other than its own type ( monsters . See picture below.
The Ranakpur Temple is a milestone in application of Vastu Science in Indian architecture. It has four faces (chaturmukh) symbolizing its victory over the four cardinal directions and the universe at large. As you enter into a world of sculptured manganism, the audio device is in a hurry to tell you the story behind this 'Pride Of RaJasthan'.
The temple seed was sown in the dream of Dharanasha, a minister under king Kumbha and it took 50 years for it to bloom- lifetime of an entire generation has gone into the creation of this architectural feat that attracts tourists from all over the world. Dharanasha, saw a vimaan, a celestial plane in his dream; the object of his dream was divine and it inspired or rather programed him to create an equally divine experience for Earthly mortals.
The temple seed was sown in the dream of Dharanasha, a minister under king Kumbha and it took 50 years for it to bloom- lifetime of an entire generation has gone into the creation of this architectural feat that attracts tourists from all over the world. Dharanasha, saw a vimaan, a celestial plane in his dream; the object of his dream was divine and it inspired or rather programed him to create an equally divine experience for Earthly mortals.
The figment of imagination found its grounding under the patronisation of King Kumbha. Dharanasha was a very respected minister at Kumbha's court, he was intelligent and had taken the austere vow of celibacy for lifelong. His devotion for religion and his administrative skill brought him very close to the king. Thus, when Dharanasha desired to build a temple for Rishabadeva, which was to be unparallel in beauty, he got support from the king. Rishabadeva also known as Adinath is the first Jain tirthankar( enlightened one) among 24 tirthankars, Mahavira being the last one.
To capture another person's dream on paper was no easy task; the summoned architects and sculptors could not come anywhere near the minister's vision but true devotion skimmed out an extraordinary man with a super mind and an ace artist. His name was Deepa. The architect of Ranakpur Temple.
The three storey temple is an architectural marvel with his four sided opening and four idols facing the four sides in the main temple. It is a city of pillars with intricate meaningful carvings depicting stories that take you back to a time and world unknown. If more than thousand would mean uncountable that there are uncountable number of pillars and no two are similar.
In Jainism there are legends, and legends within legends, the stone below is a sculptured illustration of one such legend. The 23rd tirthankar (enlighted one) Parshavnath Bhagwan, as a prince of his state was taking rounds. He saw an ascetic burning logs of wood from a distance. He was a divine soul, he knew there were two snakes inside a log that were getting burned. He could not bear their pain so he asked the ascetic to stop the fire. The egoist soul refused to believe him, Parshavnath Bhagwan ordered his soldier to pull out a log and tore it apart. From it came out two burning snakes. See the image below.
There are seventy six smaller domed shrines, four assembly halls, four Principal Shrines situated in the four directions, a number of big and small subsidiary Shrines; in all 84 in number a very symbolic number in Jain philosophy. They believe that a soul goes through 84 lakhs birth and death cycles, thus inspiring man to strive for eternal salvation. The temple is a storehouse of precious stones, priceless sculptors. It is a testimony of India's cultural heritage, which has remained intact inspite of innumerable conquests and invasions. In the basement there are hidden rooms to conceal the moveables, Hats off to the unique architecture and the vision and acumen of its past masters.
The temple is located at a distance of 35 km from Falna station ( closest station) and about 90 km from Udaipur. There are good roads that get you at the doorstep of the temple. You have to liberate yourself from all leather articles that you are carrying before you enter the temple. Please do keep some change in your pockets for entry fee and camera fee. Also carry your photo id proof as a security for the audio device otherwise be ready to shell out 2000 Rs as security for the audio device. I recommend the audio device for this tour.