Jain Temple in Ranakpur - India Trip

Today we will drive 6 hours from Udaipur to Jodhpur, and on the way, we will visit the most famous Jain Temple in Ranakpur.

In north India, the weeding season starts from September and ends in February, but in South India, weddings are organized throughout the year.  During our trip, we saw a lot of weddings. Before we left the hotel in Udaipur, a weeding had just started in the hotel garden.

From Udaipur to Jodhpur, we drove on the country road, which was quite peaceful and beautiful.

We saw many domestic animals on the road, such as zebus,

Sheeps,

And water buffalos.

We also saw a lot of wild monkeys when we were close to Ranakpur.

Some of them ignored us, and some of them came to the car.

Wing saved a banana from the morning breakfast provided by the hotel,

and our driver fed it to the monkeys.

We also saw the locals, such as kids,

women wearing traditional colorful clothes while repairing the road,

3 men on a motorcycle,

And a cool couple.

After 2 hours drive, we arrived at the Jain Temple in Ranakpur. Jainism is an ancient Indian religion. Followers of Jainism are called "Jains", a word derived from the Sanskrit word jina (victor) and connoting the path of victory in crossing over life's stream of rebirths through an ethical and spiritual life. 耆(qi2)那教是一种古老的印度宗教。耆那教的追随者被称为“耆那教众”，这是一个源于梵文胜利者的词，意味着通过道德和精神生活渡过生命的重生之路的胜利之路。Followers of Jainism take five main vows: ahimsa ("non-violence"), satya ("truth"), asteya ("not stealing"), brahmacharya ("celibacy or chastity"), and aparigraha ("non-attachment"). These principles have impacted Jain culture in many ways, such as leading to a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle that avoids harm to animals and their life cycles.

To avoid the crowd, my mom and I went to the back of the temple and took some nice photos.

Dharna Shah, a local Jain businessperson, started construction of the temple in the 15th century following a divine vision. Light colored marble has been used for the construction of this grand temple which 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.

Beside the main temple, there is also a small temple. You can take a picture like the one above from the platform where the small temple (below) is located. Same rules as other temples in India: shoes need to be removed before walk on the white marbles. Except it is cold, you do not need to worry that your feet may get dirty. Temple stuff or believers they clean the floor frequently. In the picture below, a man was cleaning the floor with water which made the marble floor very slippery. I actually fell very badly on the floor when I was posing for a picture. At the moment, I felt like I must broke my right arm. Fortunately, I was okay.

The small temple is free of enter, but to get into the main temple, it was not cheap nor easy. The entrance ticket is 200 INR per person (with free audio guide), and 100 INR per cellphone or camera. The inside of the main temple won’t open to public until noon each day, and in order to get in, you need to cover your shoulders and legs. I was not allowed to step into the temple since I was wearing a dress. Fortunately, I brought a scarf to cover my shoulders and my son’s hokey leggings to cover my legs. Food and water are not allowed inside the temple, but you can leave them outside, and pick them up once you came out. I also heard leather products including belts are not allowed. There is no free lunch provided in the temple as the internet says. We had lunch at a clean resort 5 minutes drive from the temple.

The temple is supported by over 1444 marble pillars, carved in exquisite detail. The pillars are all differently carved and no two pillars are the same. The amazing architecture of the Jain Temple shows the deep understanding of structures and refined skills of craftsmen of bygone era.

The carvings on the ceilings are extremely beautiful too.

When I stepped out the temple, I just saw the image blow. At the moment, I could not miss my son more…