Jain Journal 1990 10

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

Page 57

Gleanings
Camphor-Scented Temples
SOUMITRA DAS
Little is heard and less seen of the splendid camphor-scented Jain temples of Ranakpur in Rajasthan. Perhaps because it is a bit out of the way when approached from Udaipur or Mount Abu, Ranakpur still hasn't become a popular tourist spot with its accompanying evils of shops selling gimerack, tea stalls, jostling crowds and jampacked parking lots that have lent an air of seediness even to the famous Dilwara temples of Mount Abu.
Set amidst a beautiful valley of the Aravalli range the 15th century temples of Ranakpur are dedicated to Adinath, a Jain deity. After heavy monsoon showers they are surrounded by lush grenery and murmuring brooks that melt into the tranquility of great hushed pools.
At the end of a road that snakes through the range of hills, Ranakpur has retained its pristine glory. Its towering sikharas open to the sun like lotus petals. At first glance its principal temple resembles Ankor Vat in Thailand, albeit on a much smaller scale.
The Adinath temple covers 3,716 sq. mt. A flight of stairs leads into its grotto-like interiors. This is surmounted by the three-storeyed terraced portal. The entrance is exquisitely carved. Inside there is a magical world of gloaming shot with sun beams that pick out marble chiselled with such finesse that it looks as delicate as lace. Yet though five centuries separate us from the age when it was founded, the carvings remain untouched by the hand of time. Perhaps because the environment remains unpolluted.
One can only speak in superlatives of this huge edifice. It has 29 spacious halls and a profusion of columns 1,444 in all, but not one that resembles the other. Some reach a height of 40 ft. supporting the great central dome that is inscribed with circular motifs intersected by figures of divinities arranged like the spokes of a wheel. Besides, it has four huge mandapas and four lofty sikharas that dwarf the several other stunted ones crowding around them.