The sun Temple
|
|
Location:
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.
The
Ranakpur Jain temples were built during the region of the liberal
and gifted monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. The entire
temple area is enclosed within a wall. The beauty of this temple is
indeed beyond description.
The main 'Chamukha' temple is
dedicated to the trithankara Rishabdeoji and a four-faced image is
enshrined in the inner sanctum, open on all four sides. |
The Main temple |
24 Pillars are
alike in design |
An enormous
basement cover 48,000 sq. feet are. There are four subsidiary
shrines, twenty four pillared halls and eight domes supported by
over four hundred columns. The total number of columns is 1,444, all
which are intricately carved, no two being alike. A corridor around
the shrine has niches for the tirthankara images and each niche has
its spire or shikhar. Little bells are festooned atop each shikar
and their jingling in the breeze creates celestial music.
A large number of columns are carved elaborately, and it is said
that no two pillars are alike in design. At a space that penetrates
through two to three stories, various heights of domes are placed,
and their ceilings have sculptures that are unbelievably intricate.
Light is abundantly coming inside through gaps between ceilings and
from courtyards, highlighting the intertwined spaces and fine
carvings all around.
The
splendor of the space is so pure as the entire temple from the
floors to the ceilings is made of white marble. |
|
Ranakpur Jain
temple is a blissful combination of architecture, sculpture
and crafts, sequential space abounding in variety, immaculacy of
white all over, continuing halls covered by high-raised domical
ceilings full of extremely minute carvings, that reminds us of a
sense of the "Pure Land." The beauty of this temple is
indeed beyond description .A small shrine dedicated to Prashvanath faces the main temple. It
has a black image of the tirthankara in the inner sanctum. There are images of Adinath in the north west, Parshvanath in the
north east, Ajitnath in the south-east and Lord Mahavira Swami in the
south west.
The artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in
various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an engrossing
sight. In the assembly hall, there are two big bells weighing 108
kgs whose sound echoes in the entire complex. |
 |
|
