Jain Temple Ranakpur

Ranakpur jain Temples The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built during the reign of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. The basement is of 48,000 sq. feet area that covers the whole complex. In the assembly hall, there are two big bells weighing 108 kg whose sound echoes in the entire complex. The main temple is a Chaumukh or a four-faced temple dedicated to Adinath. Over 1444 marble pillars, carved in exquisite detail, support the temple.The pillars are all differently carved and no two pillars are alike.

It is also said that it is impossible to count the pillars.Also all the statues face one or the other statue,There is one beautiful carving made out of a single marble rock where there 108 heads of snakes and numerous tails.One cannot find the end of the tails. The image faces all four cardinal directions. In the axis of the main entrance, on the western side, is the largest image.

The construction of the temple and quadrupled image symbolize the Tirthankara's conquest of the four cardinal directions and hence the cosmos.The three other Jain temples in the same complex, including a temple of the Sun God, are all well worth a visit. One kilometer away from the temple complex is the temple of Amba MataThe construction of the temple is extremely complex with four separate entrances leading to chambers inside.

The chambers finally lead to the main hall which houses the image of Adinath encircled by several smaller shrines and domes. Another range of cells with individual roofs surround these shrines and domes yet again. Perhaps, the complexity of the structure was reason the temple took around 65 years to complete