Jain Pilgrimage

Author(s): Lalitprabhsagar
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 25

Adinath. This elephant reminds of that episode wherein Marudevi attains the supreme knowledge while she was seated on an elephant. Closeby, there is a basement. During calamities the idols of the Lord were kept concealed in this very basement.
On the right of the main sanctum sanctorum there is an idol of Tirthankar Parshvanath whose head is shaded by the hoods of a thousand cobras. This is the only idol of its kind in the whole of India. The special feature of this idol is that all the cobras are entwined with each other and their tail-ends are invisible.
Here, among the planned domes, there is such a dome which, if not viewed carefully, would appear to be a hindrance in the prosperity of the art of the temple. This dome, constructed on the upper portion of the temple is in fact a conch-shaped 'mandap' (cell). The science of acoustics has been propounded there. A conch has been constructed at one extreme of the dome. The echo spreading within the conch is shown to be vibrating in the entire dome.
If a study is started from the square-shaped sanctum sanctorum, then a well-defined geometrical continuity is observed. As the temple is situated on the slope of the western hills, the vital portion of the temple has been made sufficiently high on the western side. The wall surrounding the slope measuring nearly 62 metres x 62 metres in area, plays the main role in the external construction of the temple's height. The four porticos of the temple are two-storeyed and are surrounded by walls on three sides. Among the fascinating porticos, the biggest is on the west and it is the main portico.
In the courtyard of the temple there are six attics, for six deities, which have small spires on them. These spires greatly add to the majesty of the temple. The spire of the temple is three-storeyed which enhance the beauty of the temple with artistically perforated delicate marble screens. The flag flying atop the lofty spire of the temple conveys the message of peace and love to the world. The view of the temple in a full-moon night is much more exhilarating. There are three more temples here of which two are of Tirthankar Parshwanath and one is of the Sungod.
If the entire complex of this temple is to be described in just one single sentence, then it has to be said that the Ranakpur temple is an imagination materialized in stone. History, art-architecture and natural environment prove this place to be the crown of Indian tourist spots and places of worship. According to America's world-renowned architect Loui Joohan, it is a wonderful expression of architecture and spiritualism.
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DIVINE BELLE: Engraved on the wall
KICHACK: Five-bodied warrior