Ranakpur Jain Trith - Bh. Parshwanath

Ranakpur, Rajasthan

Location : 95 Kilometers. From Udaipur In Rajasthan, India

Railway Station : Falna 35 Kilometers

Ranakpur is a place of homage for Jainism and a unique example of Indian architecture. Thousands of visitors who throng the temple to have a view of the art can not help but exclaim at the very first sight - Great! Incomparable Unparalleled.

In this huge temple, art is at its best on every inch; on every side there is the wonder of craftsmanship and the miracle of chisel. This land had the good fortune of being blesses by the Supreme Being, the supreme-soul Shri Rishabhdev. Under his sacred influence, the pilgrimage extensively flourished and remained intact from the foundation to the top despite the upheavals of time. This Ranakpur pilgrimage, established amidst natural beauty, is the nucleus of Indian art.

Situated amidst the hills of the Aravali range, this pilgrimage is at a distance of 90 Kilometers from Udaipur, and 33 Kilometers from Phalna Railway Station. Standing amidst the natural beauty of uncultured stones, the architecture of this temple is explicit in its splendor. This pilgrimage bears witness to how advanced was our Indian architecture, how skilled were our sculptors and how they animated the stones. On viewing the sculpturally rich domes and columns, one feels they are the diamonds studded in the ring of Indian architecture. Just on entering the temple we feel as if we have ascended to the land of the gods.

From an inscription on a column standing at the side of the entrance to the main shrine we come to know that Mahamantri Dharnashah is the chief founder and Depa is the art-director of this pilgrimage which expresses a synthesis of architecture and spiritualism. The name of Rana Kumbha has also been respectfully mentioned in the inscription, which inform us that Rana Kumbha, a patron of art and architecture, had also contributed to the construction of this temple.

It is believed that Dharnashah lived in a Village called Nandia, in the vicinity of Ranakpur. He was a minister of Rana Kumbha of Mewar.

Dharnashah wished to build such a temple of the first Tirthankar, Lord Adinath, as would be unique in itself. Ranakpur is the fulfillment of that very wish. He decided to make the design of the temple just like the divine Vimaan (aero plane) named 'Nalini Gulm' which he had seen in his dream.

Dharnashah got many a design-drawings of the proposed temple made by several art directors. He found the conceptualization of the renowned art-director Deepa not only conforming to his dream, but also having a glimpse of artistic foresight. Deepa, by courtesy Dharna, made the mute rocks vociferous. Rana Kumbha had given a plot of land for the temple and also made a new town populated there when the temple was built. With a view to express gratitude for this devout contribution, Dharna named it Ranakpur after the title Rana.

The construction of the temple had begun in 1446 vikram (1389 A. D.). The construction work was completed after continuous 50 years' labour. The temple had really become an ideal model of art. Dharna's wish was to make the temple still more artistic, but he had become very old. Therefore, this magnificent temple was concsecrated by the sacred hands of Acharya Som Sundar in 1496 v. (1439 A. D.).

The Ranakpur temple is made safe by the surrounding Aravali hills. The tourist becomes enchanted on viewing the attractive form of the temple from a distance. As he approaches nearer and nearer to the temple, the ringing of bells resonating in air over the hillocks begins to move his heart. These vibrating sounds awaken our latent consciousness and gladdens it.

Invisible power of the supreme soul and the sacra mentality of art affectionately invites the visitors and the devotees in the premises. Regardless of whether a visitor has faith in God, he finds his heart emotionally charged on coming here. Although the entire art of the temple has flowered in the Jain tradition, still the temple-builder has also got some selected scenes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata engraved. Even before knocking at the entrance of the temple, the fine examples of communal liberalism which the visitor comes across, cannot help but impress him. After ascending nearly 25 steps of the temple's staircase, the tourist gets attracted by the artistically engraved stone ceiling. There is a huge protruding figure of a valiant five-bodied person on the ceiling. This huge figure is probably related kichak, described in the Mahabharata, who had one head, but five bodies. This scene is very pleasant and enigmatic. Many episodes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have been sculpted on this very ceiling.

After crossing the entrance, we find two cells, adjacent to each other, housing the most ancient idols of Jain Tirthankars. Some of the idols have passed through the hands of those invaders who were bent upon sabotaging Indian civilization and Indian beliefs.

After ascending a few more steps we come across the first courtyard of the temple where minute carvings on the temple can be seen but the bird's eye-view from there tends one to ignore the uniqueness of the sculptural art. Column after column are seen on whichever side you cast your glance. The onlooker becomes wonderstruck on seeing so many columns together, but this enchantment effuses him with a sense of glory.

There are so many columns here that not as many earthenware lamps would have burnt in the palace of an emperor. Here we have 1444 columns representing the finest forms of art. Every column is a living example of art. The special feature is that a new form of is etched on every column. Every column is no other building in the world that has so many milky lofty columns in marble.

When standing inside the premises we turn our eyes towards the ceiling, we see above a lavish and lively from of art the equal wherof is very difficult to find. On this ceiling is engraved a creeper of 'Kalpvalli-Kalptaru' (the wish-fulfilling tree). This is a beautiful view of the art of the temple. This is considered to occupy an important place in the history of architecture. This place is called Meghnad Mandap.

On proceeding four steps more the viewer finds himself under a balcony-cum-dome. The artistic dome-hangings look like jewel-studded ear-rings. At this place there are two columns on two sides which contain small statues of the builder and the architect of the temple. The statue of Dharnashah is on the left column and that of the architect Deepa is on the right side.

Here, the arch built outside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple may be hailed as the finest example of art. A person standing in the premises identifies himself with the art-enriched devotion when his eyes get a glimpse of the magnificent idol of Lord Adinath, adorning the main sanctum sanctorum. This idol measures 62 inches and, in all, four such idols are placed facing four sides. Probably for this very reason, this temple is also renowned by its popular name Chaturmukh Jinprasad. The internal configuration of the sanctum sanctorum has been done in the form of a Swastik-shaped room. Outside the main temple there is an idol of the protector deity of the pilgrimage which is considered to be miraculous. There are two huge bells outside the sanctum-sanctorum which are differenitiated as masculine and feminine. This difference is identified by the sound of the bell. Such a sound is emitted from the bells which makes one feel the sound of 'Om' being echoed.

There is a huge tree on the left of the main temple. It is called Rayan tree. Under this tree there are also the foot-images of Tirthankar Adinath. Factually, this scene reminds of the famous Jain pilgrimage Shatrunjaya. Near the tree is a column named Sahasrakoot which is incomplete. It is said that many efforts were made to complete it, but it could not be completed. Just as this huge pillar/column attained a particular height, it broke down forthwith. In front of the Sahasrakoot is a huge marble elephant, bearing the idol of marudevi, mother of Adinath. This elephant reminds of that episode wherein Marudevi attains the supreme knowledge while she was seated on an elephant. Closeby, there is a basement. During calamities the idols of the Lord were kept concealed in this very basement.

On the right of the main sanctum sanctorum there is an idol of Tirthankar Parshvanath whose head is shaded by the hoods of a thousand cobras. This is the only idol of its kind in the whole of India. The special feature of this idol is that all the cobras are entwined with each other and their tail-ends are invisible.

Here, among the planned domes, there is such a dome which, if not viewed carefully, would appear to be a hindrance in the prosperity of the art of the temple. This dome, constructed on the upper portion of the temple is in fact a conch-shaped 'mandap' (cell). The science of acoustics has been propounded there. A conch has been constructed at one extreme of dome. The echo spreadings within the conch is shown to be vibrating in the entire dome.

If a study is started from the square-shaped sanctum sanctorum, then a well-defined geometrical continuity is observed. As the temple is situated on the slope of the western hills, the vital portion of the temple has been made sufficiently high on the western side. The wall surroundings the slope measuring nearly 62 meters x 62 meters in area, plays the main role in the external construction of the temple's height. The four porticos of the temple are two-storeyed and are surrounded by walls on three sides. Among the fascinating porticos, the biggest is on the west and it is the main portico.

In the courtyard of the temple there are six attics, for six deities, which have small spires on them. These spires greatly add to the majesty of the temple. The spire of the temple is three-storeyed which enhance the beauty of the temple with artistically perforated delicate marble screens. The flag flying atop the lofty spire of the temple conveys the message of peace and love to the world. The view of the temple in a full-moon night is much more exhilarating. There are three more temples here of which two are of Tirthankar Parshwanath and one is of the Sun-god.

If the entire complex of this temple is to be described in just one single sentence, then it has to be said that the Ranakpur temple, is an imagination materialized in stone. History, art-architecture and natural environment prove this place to be the crown of Indian tourist spots and places of worship. According to America's world-renowned architect Loul Joohan, it is a wonderful expression of architecture and spiritualism.

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From : World Renowned Jain Pilgrimages - Reverence & Art

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