Jain Journal 1990 10

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

Page 58

98
JAIN JOURNAL
Marmorial nymphs and deities of sinuous grace, flowers, mythic and real beasts and abstract patterns sprout from every niche, arch and lintel. Sunlight enamels these cold white carvings in vivid shades of ochre that blend with delicate hues of blue. There is such a welter of detail that what catches the eye is not the height of the temple or how well the plan is laid out but its mesmeric beauty in its totality.
The upper storeys are capped by huge domes and the towers or śikharas reach out to the skies. Snow white penants flutter atop them in the breeze. The placid hills encircle them like an amphitheatre. In their stillness they seem to be deep in meditation.
Built during the reign of Rana Kumbha of Mewar it follows the broad lines of the Solanki version of the Nagara temple style and corroborates the general description in Vastu-sära of Thakkura Pheru, according to an article in Jaina Art and Architecture. This school had flourished during the Rana's reign and Ranakpur is its flower.