01A dream in stone
Dharna Shah, a Porwal Jain minister of Mewar, is said to have seen a celestial vimana in a dream and wanted a temple in its shape. Rana Kumbha gave the land, and the village took his name, Ranakpur. The architect was Depaka. An inscription of 1439 on a pillar near the entrance names the patron, the king and the sutradhara. The plan is a chaumukha: Adinatha’s fourfold image faces the four directions, so the temple opens on every side, and the 29 halls are lit by shafts of daylight falling between the pillars.
02Worship and repair
The temple was never pulled down, though Mewar’s wars passed close by and it stood half-empty for long stretches. The Anandji Kalyanji trust of the Shvetambara Jains restored it in the 20th century and runs it today. The Parshvanatha temple and a small Surya temple stand within walking distance. Inside the main temple, look for the slab of Parshvanatha sheltered by the many hoods of a serpent, its coils knotted round him, cut from one block of marble.
The life of this place
- 1437 CEBuilding begins under Rana Kumbha.
- 1439 CEPillar inscription names Dharna Shah, Kumbha and the architect Depaka.
About 90 km from Udaipur; open to non-Jains from noon to 5 p.m. Dress modestly; leather is not allowed.
