Ranakpur Jain Temple

Ranakpur is a small town located in one of the valley of Aravalli Range. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur, and is famous for the Jain Temple. The Jain Temple at Ranakpur is dedicated to Tirthankara Adinath, the first Tirthankar of the present half-cycle (according to Jain). It is believed that one of the local businessman, Dharma Shah, started the construction in 15th century. It was also supported by the then provincial ruler, Rana Kumbha, after whom the town and the temple are named. It is also believed the the ladies of the town donated gold in huge amounts to build the temple.

The temple is an architectural marvel. The whole temple is carved on white marble. The intricate work in the temple will leave you stunned. The temple is 100ft high and has three floors. It also has around 1400+ pillars made of white marble, and art work is carved on each of these pillars. Moreover, the design of the art work in each pillar is different! The locals also say that the design of the temple is such that it is impossible to count the number of pillars in the temple!

Sometimes, you will be so lost in admiring the beauty of the work in the pillars, that you may miss noticing the ceiling! Yes, the ceiling too is designed with such beauty that you may be awestruck! You may require a binoculars or a camera with higher zoom to observe the intricacy of the work in the ceiling!

Art work in the ceiling

Observe carefully…

…No design gets repeated!

Some of the other carvings around the temple look simple when you look at it from a distance, but when you get closer to it, you will realize the detail of the work. You can be assured that none of the work in the temple is “simple”!

 

 

The main sanctum

There are three other temples inside the temple complex. The temple of Parsavanath, temple dedicated to Neminath (22nd saint), and Surya Narayan Temple dedicated to Sun God.

Surya Narayan Temple

If you thought that the art work is restricted only to the main temple, think again. Zoom to the entrance of the temple and see the art work in the photo below!

Even the outside of the temple has so much of work, that you will be stunned by the beauty and the intricacy of the work. Overall, if the temple architecture, carvings, or sculptures interest you, then you should definitely visit Ranakpur Jain Temple!

Location

Ranakpur Jain Temple

Where to Stay?

  • Udaipur
  • Jodhpur

Distance Chart

From Distance (in km)
Udaipur 95
Jodhpur 165
Ahmedabad 340
Jaipur 360
Bikaner 405
Jaisalmer 430

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