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ART & LITERATURE
POETRY IN STONE
Ratilal Desai and Mahesh Dave explain the history and artistry
of Ranakpur temple, one of the rare wonders of the world
GERARD Clor, PARIS
An overview of Ranakpur Temple
TN THE HEART OF THE REMOTE AND ENCHANTING VALLEY OF
the Arvallis, skirting the rivulet Maghai and enveloped Lin the solitude of the surrounding forest, stands in solemn grandeur the Chaturmukha Jain Temple of Rishabhnath. Placed on a lofty plinth, the three-storey marble edifice, to which the genius of the artist has imparted exquisite artistic grace and dignity, is a poem in stone. The
surrounding hills are dwarfed by its imposing bearing and appear absorbed in mute meditation, as if spellbound. To behold this holy shrine in its spectacularly sublime setting is to experience an instant uplifting of the soul.
This temple is the realisation of the vision and endeavours of four great and devout seekers. They were: Acharya Somasundarsuriji, Dharanashah, the Minister to
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Jain Spirit • June - August 2002
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