Domes of the Ranakpur Jain Temple - Ranakpur, Rajasthan, India
Posted by: 
denben
N 25° 06.943 E 073° 28.337
43R E 345971 N 2778633
Built in the 15th century, Ranakpur Jain Temple is located in the village of Ranakpur near Sadri Town in the Pali district of Rajasthan. The Ranakpur temple is renowed for its marvelous architecture which makes it a famous tourist site.
Waymark Code: WMQ4BW
Location: India
Date Posted: 12/17/2015
Views: 3
Rajasthan is famous for its rich and prolific art treasures. Some of its architectural monuments are considered among the best in the world. The Ranakpur Jain Temple excels them all as an exquisite work of art and architecture. There are a number of beautiful and delicately carved sculptures in this shrine which defy comparison.
The most outstanding feature of this temple is its infinite number of pillars. This temple can be called a treasure house of pillars or a city of pillars. In whichever direction one might turn one's eyes meet pillars and pillars big, small, broad, narrow, ornate or plain. But the ingenious designer has arranged them in such a manner that none of them obstructs the view of the pilgrim wishing to have a Darshana' (glimpse) of God. From any corner of the temple one can easily view the Lord's image. These innumerable pillars have given rise to the popular belief that there are about 1444 pillars in the temple.
The temple has 24 pillared halls with 80 domes that are supported by 400 columns. The upper and lower parts of the domes are linked by brackets that have deities' sculptures.
In the North of the temple, there is a Rayan tree (Mimusops laxandra) and the foot prints of Bhagavan Rishabhadev on a slab of marble. They remind us of the life and preaching of Bhagavan Risabhadev and of Shatrunjaya, the foremost among the places of Jain pilgrimage.
Sources: (
visit link) and (
visit link)