________________
B.1.3.2.3
The Holy Temples of Ranakapura and Abū Dr. Kamini Gogri
1.1 Dharana Šaha and the Construction of the temple
SCHOOL
OF
STUDY NOTES version 5.0
INN STUDIES
SELF STUDY IS THE
SUPREME AUSTERITY,
स्वाध्याय परमं तप
1.0 Introduction
On a curve of the boulder-strewn Maghai River in Rajasthan, in a tiny enclave formed by the forested Aravalli hills, lies the sacred site of Rāṇakapura. In the 15th century several temples were built there and a bustling township overlooking the valley occupied the western slopes of the hills. Of the glory of those days, little remains today. The town has disappeared without a trace- the memory of its existence being occasionally conjured up by a vessel, or a gold coin discovered by wandering goatherds. One of the surviving fanes, set slightly apart from the rest, is the Sun temple built by illustrious Rāṇā Kumbhā, the Hindu ruler of powerful Rajput kingdom of Mewar. Three of the other temples belong to the Jainas. Of them all, the most impressive is the 'Dharana Vihara' built by Dharana Shah and dedicated to Yugādiśvara (the first lord of this aeon). It is also known as Trailokyadīpaka Prāsāda- the temple of the light of the three worlds.
•
The builder of the shrine, Dharana Shah belonged to a Rajasthani Jaina family that bore the title of Sanghapati (one who borne the costs of the pilgrimage of others). The name shah indicates that he amassed his wealth as a banker or as a merchant. According to Jaina tradition, he gained the confidence of the king and was appointed minister. At the age of 32, however, greatly influenced by the sermons of the monk Śrī Somasundara Sūriji, he retired from the world to
practice celibacy. In a dream he saw a marvelous heavenly vehicle, nalini-gulma-vimana (lotus flight), which impressed him so much that he suggested, the temple and township.
However, it was not as simple to execute the temple's plan: fifty architects were not in a position to fulfill Dharana's wish of combining the nalini-gulma-vimana with a caturmukha temple (a temple with a four-faced' image of the firthamkara, facing the four cardinal directions). The latter concept was important for him in order to have it like Rajvihara temple of King Kumārpāla. Finally in Depaka, an architect from a neighboring village, he found the man to bring this project to fruition. The temple is said to have been begun in 1377 or 1387,
Page 235 of 317
