Jain Temple
Ranakpur is one of the five holiest places of the Jain community. It is famous because of some marvelously carved Jain temples in amber stone, of exceptional beauty. The dating of this temple is controversial but it is largely considered to be anywhere between the late 14th to mid-15th centuries.
This temple is dedicated to Adinatha. The temple occupies an area of approximately 60 x 62 meters. The temple, with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and cupolas rises majestically from the slope of a hill. The temple is designed as caumukha—with four faces.The construction of the temple and quadrupled image symbolize the Tirthankara's conquest of the four cardinal directions and hence the cosmos.
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Also all the statues face one or the other statue. 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.
Sun Temple
Ranakpur is widely known for its marble Jain temple, and for a much older Sun Temple which lies opposite the former. It was built around the 13th century and renovated in the 15th century. Built of white lime stone in the classic Nagara style, the temple shows a profusion of intricate sculptural work. It consists of a sanctum crowned with Shikhara and an octagonal mandapam which has six verandas. Exterior of the sanctum contains the sculptures of Sun God seated on a chariot. From Ranakpur we traveled to Mount Abu, Hill of Wisdom
Distance: Ranakpur ---> Mount Abu 181 kms
P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.
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