Pradesh Ranakpur Temple

The Jain temple of Ranakpur is situated in the heart of the Aravalli hills. The temple is a fine specimen of art and culture that makes it a treasured site of Rajasthan that is to be cherished. The construction of this temple was started in the year of 1446 and was completed in the year 1496. It took fifty years for the completion of the temple.

Architecture of the Temple

It is a three-storey building made up of marble. The structure of the temple consists of four entrances. The main chamber of the temple contains four images of Adinath. The images are sculpted out of white marble and each are around seventy two inches tall and are built in such a way that one image is situated in each direction. Therefore, this temple is also known as Chaturmukh Jain temple. Apart from this, there are seventy six small in size domed shrines, four assembly halls, four principle shrines situated in the four directions along with many subsidiary shrines. There are four unique Meghananda Mandapa that have elegant designs. The pillars are of forty feet height with delicate carvings all around. Giving support to magnificent domes with studded. Precious stones, these pillars make one of the main attractions in the temple. The domes also hold radiant images of the Gods and Goddesses. On the west side of the Meghananda Mandapa is situated the images of Dharanashah, who was the initiator of this temple and of Deepak who designed this temple, both facing the image of the Lord.

The incredible part of this temple is the multiple number of pillars situated all around the temple. These pillars are unique in nature some being big, some small, some ornate while others are plain. This structure shows the art and skill of the indigenous designer who has given the artistic touch to the Ranakpur Jain Temple.One of the most significant and biggest Jain temple complexes of India, the Ranakpur Jain Temple covers an area of 4500 square yards and consists of 29 halls. The Temple is one of the most important of the five major pilgrimage centres of Jainism. Built during the reign of the Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century, the Temple complex consists a total of four shrines.

The unique thing about the temple is its color-changing columns. They go from golden to pale blue after every hour that passes during the day. Moreover, each of these columns has been carved intricately without repeating any designs. Hence, no two columns in the temple have similar designs. The two ... 

The building activities of the Jain community have always been patronised by the Mewar Dynasty. Dhanna Shah, who was the founder of all the temples at Ranakpur, had once approached Rana Kumbha to request for some part of the land to build a temple. Rana Kumbha agreed on only one condition that the constructed temple should bear his name and therefore, the temple site on the banks of River Maghai came to be known as Ranakpur. 

With a basement of 48,000sq.ft, the temple complex includes a total of four shrines with pillared halls and domes supported by 1,444 intricately carved columns. None of these columns has a similar design. The ceilings are finely carved with fine scrollwork and geometric patterns. The brackets connecting the top of the domes to the floor are filled with figures of deities, while the dome is in concentric bands.

The temple's foundation is made of three levels so that the several pavilions can be accommodated on the base itself. Beautiful turrets rise from the walls, where each of them relates to a cell on the inner façade of the wall. The roof is formed of five spires and 20 cupolas.

The main temple, Chaumukh is a four faced temple which is dedicated to the first Tirthankara, Adinath. Built in the form of a heavenly aircraft, the temple has 29 halls and 80 domes with 1444 pillars of intricately carved figures of dancing goddesses. The temple has four entrances in four different sides which lead to the central hall and sanctum containing a four-faced marble statue of Lord Adinath.