The main 'Chamukha' temple is dedicated to
the trithankara Rishabdeoji
Ranakpur is located in the
mountain ranges of Pali district, 23 kms away from the Phalna
railway station. The Ranakpur Jain temples were built during
the region of the liberal and gifted monarch Rana Kumbha
in the 15th century.
The entire temple area is enclosed within a wall. The main
'Chamukha' temple is dedicated to the trithankara Rishabdeoji
and a four-faced image is enshrined in the inner sanctum,
open on all four sides.
An enormous basement cover 48,000 sq. feet are. There are
four subsidiary shrines, twenty four pillared halls and
eight domes supported by over four hundred columns. The
total number of columns is 1,444, all which are intricetrly
carved, no two being alike.
A corridor around the shrine has niches for the tirthankara
images and each niche has its spire or shikhar. Little bells
are festooned atop each shikar and their jingling in the
breeze creates celestial music.
A small shrine dedicated to Prashvanath faces the main temple.
It has a black image of the tirthankara in the inner sanctum.
There are images of Adinath in the north west , Parshvanath
in the north east, Ajitnath in the south-east and Lord Mahavir
Swami in the south west. 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 enches
in the entire complex.
