Jain Journal 1990 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 50

nestle on the edge of a jungle, where the handsome langurs complement sturdy men and women of these parts. A brand bidi, displayed prominently on the walls, marks the only commercial intrusion here, with no sign even of the red triangle. They all contribute to the remarkable tranquility of Ranakpur.
At the massive Caumukha (four-mouthed) temple, built by minister Dharna Shah in the reign of Rana Kumbha of Mewar (1433) the facade and elevation are handled more impressively than at Dilwara. Airy balconies greet the pilgrim, hinting at the open galleries inside that allow for a scrutiny of pillars, ceilings, and sculpture at contrasting heights. Similar variation on the roof combines rounded domes with sleek spires and lofty śikharas. The friendliest priest that I've ecountered in India conducts me through the halls, pointing to imperial folly in the adhurā kirti stambha. Rana Kumbha (grandfather of the more illustrious Rana Pratap) built this pillar with the intention of touching the dome, but goddess Ambika intervened to leave it incomplete, since temporal ambition was intruding upon spiritual quest. Actually, the pillar is a masterpiece, its receding edges leading the eye into expanding depth, a conception successfully used by some modern architects. Another dazzling sculpture has the 23rd Tirthankara, Parsvanatha, shadowed by the thousand-hooded snake, coiled in a sinuous maze. Western and eastern cultures alike obsessed with death and reincarnation, have been endlessly fascinated by the serpent that sloughs off its old skin, to be "reborn", a creature of dred and veneration.
At the four domed ceilings of the Caumukha, the presiding figure of Vidyadevi or Sarasvati appears in twelve modes of artistic activity : singing, dancing, and sounding a variety of instruments. A glorious celebration of the Muses, Jainism here links aesthetic endeavour and excellence with spiritual fulfilment, a profound philosophical truth from the Jina (root word for both knowledge and Jain). An evening arati, where the candled chandeliers flicker their shadows on the majestic walls, completes the emotion of aesthetic bliss.
Two other temples at Ranakpur offer fine diversion. Relieved from more weighty concerns, the Parsvanatha temple features langorous aquisite Apsaras and mildly erotic scenes around the indulgent Tirthankara. The Hindu Surya temple moves across the heavens with its familiar rearing horses. Despite an inferior quality of marble at Ranakpur, its ambience makes it a preferable pilgrimage to the Dilwara, highlighted by a clean and comfortable dharamśālā and very satisfying vegetarian cuisine.