20171020 - 20171022 - Jain Temples in Ranakpur & Mount Abu

Chaumukha Mandir in Ranakpur - pillars are densely carved with floral motifs and figures in niches. 
No two pillars are identical in their ornamentation.

I picked Ranakpur and Mount Abu mainly because of their Jain temples.  The Chaumukha Mandir (Four Faces)in Ranakpur, and the Vimali Vasahi and Luna Vasahi in Mount Abu are recognized as Jain masterpieces worldwide.  Jainism, founded in the 6th century BC, is based on a doctrine of nonviolence towards all living beings. Jains are strict vegetarians.  Jains believe in 24 tirthankaras or enlightened crossing-makers, who guide others in their journey from one life to the next. Jainism attracted many followers among the wealthy traders and merchants of Western India, who were also politically powerful as financiers.  As acts of devotion and penance, they financed the building of some of these elaborately carved temples.

ceilings of concentric tiers symbolize the Jain view of the universe as a series of cosmic cycles

It is rumoured that the carvers were paid in gold according to the weight of the marble  shavings they presented at the end of each day’s work.  Here'a another ceiling and a closer look at one of the struts in the ceiling ... notice the dancer and  the dieties on it AND the intricate carvings behind them!

The 15th century Jain complex in Ranakpur has five temples.  The main temple is dedicated to Adinath - the first tirthankara, and is the largest and most elaborate one.  The temple has an unusual 4-sided plan and is best known for its elaborate carvings and 1444 columns (and no two are alike). The temple uses light coloured marbe from Makrana, the same one used for the Taj Mahal.  With an audio guide , I spent over two hours wandering around this one temple, learning about it and just admiring the details and beauty of it all.  And I kept wondering how they came up with the design and kept the perspectives when they were carving it?

Since cameras are not allowed in the Mount Abu temples, I'm going to include a lot of the pictures from Ranakpur below ...

this is one of my favourites - multi-layered Kalpavalli medallions, with their exquisite patterns of foliage, tendrils & flowers

Intricately carved marble Toran - it is carved on both sides and you can see through!

The ceiling at the entrance is decorated with akichaka - a bearded man with five bodies representing
fire, water, heaven, earth and air.

Made out of a single piece of marble, the deity
of Parshwanath with 108 heads of snakes and numerous
tails - but you cannot find the end of the tails!

The iconic representation of Mt. Shatrunjaya,
where 863 Jain temples cluster near Palitana.

Carvings at the entrance and an exploded view of one of those pictures ... just imagine carving the entire piece out of a solid chunk of marble!

Here's a closeup of the crazy carvings on a base!

The uncarved exterior of the Ranakpur's Jain temple contrasts sharply with the profuse decoration inside.  This symbolizes the Jain belief in the insignificance of outward forms, and the importance of a rich inner life!

I checked in at the hotel after lunch, and I was upgraded to a suite because all the rooms were gone.  The room was big ... it even had a round bed at the corner!  But then I found out later that there were some animal droppings on the bed!  They offered to change the sheets or moved me to another room; and I elected to move to another room ... not knowing if the animals were still in the room or not.  The new room was between the toilets and the parking lot ... and the paint was peeling, but at least it's clean.

Kumbhalgarh Fort with its impressive wall and the massive entry gate Ram Pol.

We travelled to the Kumbhalgarh Fort the next day.  Because it was the Diwali holiday, there were a ton of tourists from the neighbouring province Gujarat.  These tourists will stop wherever they want (as on the side of a twisted, narrow mountain road) and when they want (as in taking a selfie or break).  And then they would park anywhere and everywhere to save a few dollars or avoid the traffic jam.  Because of these illegal parking, traffic was backed up everywhere.  I ended up getting off the car and walked a good 500 metres to the fort to 'get around' the traffic.  The fort is most impressive because of its 36 km walls around the Avarali Hills - some people called it the Great Wall of India. 

Palaces at Kumbhalgarh Fort - impressive, but all that's left is just the shell

There are practically no signs or directions in the fort ... so one (or at least me) never knows where one is going.  There was not a lot to see inside, but the wall is impressive, as are some of the temples.

the Great Wall of India with the Vedi complex of temples at the bottom

You can see for miles - no wonder they picked this location to build the fort ... no surprise attacks!

Temples in ruins

I wandered for 4 hours under the blazing sun, and I enjoyed my tranquil moments at a restored Jain temple complex (the Golerao Group of Temples) - away from the crowd.  One thing I notice is that the Jain temples are always nice, breezy and cool ... I wonder if that is what they call good feng shui!

Unfortunately we had to fight our way out of the traffic at the fort ... only to land in worse traffic at Mount Abu where I would be staying for 2 nights. 

entrance way to one of the Golerao temples

this is the 'most complete' temple in the Golerao complex - the one I think with the good Feng Shui!

We started the next day with a visit to the Hindu temple at Guru Shikhar - the highest point in Rajasthan at 1722 m.  The traffic was worst than the day before.  So I got off the car, walked my way to the gate and then 'climbed' the steep steps to the temple.  You can see in the picture the crowd situation ...  Since I am not a believer, I am not sure if the journey is worth all the diesel fumes I have inhaled!

the Guru Shikhar is the white structure at the top of the picture ... see the 

crazy hordes of people lining up at the bottom and all the way to the top!  

And everybody wants to ring the bell near the temple.

Up next is the main event - the Jain Temples at Dilwara.  In a certain way, I find the carvings here to be better than those at Ranakpur ... maybe because some of the ceilings are lower and smaller in scale?  While you can see more things up close, you are not allowed to bring your camera!  I did take my binoculars though.  Instead of following large groups with Hindia speaking guide, I wandered around slowly on my own.  The work is absolutely amazing ... you'd have to google for the images online.

flashy, colourful costumes

Instead of going to a few more tourist attractions, like sunset point (?), I opted to go back to the hotel and rest ... must be the fumes from this morning.  At night, I went for a walk in the bazaar and took pictures of people dressing up in traditional costumes.  In India, it is quite common for locals to stop you in the middle of the street so they can take a selfie with you (as in a foreigner) or you can take a picture of them with your camera???  I suppose that is another "I am in India" AHA moment.

Yet another form of transportation ... it comes in handy when
you have young children or elderlies and you don't want them
to get lost among the crowd.

everybody was having a good time at the bazaar in Mount Abu