The temple in a few facts
Four faces: chaturmukha means four-faced. At the heart of the temple, four images of Adinath sit back to back, each facing one of the four directions.
Four doors: the building opens to all four directions through great gateways, so the teaching reaches every direction of the world equally.
- Inscription
- 1439, naming Dharna Shah as patron
- Architect
- Usually given as Depaka, or Depa
- Formal name
- Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara
- Tradition
- Shvetambara Jain
- Region
- Godwar, Pali district
- The name of the place: Ranakpur comes from Rana Kumbha, the ruler of Mewar who granted the land.
- A working temple: Jain monks and nuns stay nearby, families come to pray, and visitors are welcome on the temple's terms.
- The patron's tradition: the Shvetambara branch of Jainism, whose monks and nuns wear white.
- The pillars: by tradition 1,444, and no two carved alike. Many of our guests set out to check and give up after twenty.
A merchant's dream and a king's gift
Dharna Shah, a Jain merchant and minister at the court of Rana Kumbha, is said to have dreamed of a vimana, a celestial vehicle from the heavens, and resolved to build a temple in its image. He asked the king for land, and Kumbha gave him this valley. Parts were finished long after its founders had died.
The king: Rana Kumbha ruled Mewar from 1433 to 1468 and built the great fort of Kumbhalgarh in the hills to the east.
- The inscription: an inscription of 1439 on one of the pillars records Dharna Shah as the patron and names the architect.
- The craftsmen: many master carvers worked here over the following decades, in the long tradition of western Indian temple building.
- The merit: building a temple was an act of merit for a Jain patron, which is why carving appears even in places no visitor will ever see.
- Pilgrims ever since: for more than five hundred years, from nearby villages on foot and now in buses from Gujarat and Mumbai.
Before you go, the rules
Hours follow worship: the temple keeps the early part of the day for worship and opens to non-Jain visitors later. Hours change, especially at festivals, so we check on the day.
Cover up: loose clothes covering shoulders and knees. Shawls and wraps can usually be borrowed at the entrance.
- Visiting hours
- Morning for worship, visitors later; we confirm
- Dress
- Shoulders and knees covered
- Leather
- None at all, left at the gate
- Food and drink
- Not allowed inside
- Photography
- Temple rules; never the images
- No leather: shoes, belts, wallets, handbags and watch straps stay outside. There are lockers and a shoe stand at the gate.
- No food, drink or chewing gum: inside the temple.
- Photography: the temple sets its own rules, which may include a separate ticket for cameras or phones. Photographing the images of the tirthankaras is not allowed.
- Quiet: speak softly, do not touch the images, and keep to the sides of the halls when worshippers are at the shrines.
- Menstruation: the temple posts rules about entry for women during menstruation, as many traditional Indian temples do. We ask guests to respect them.
- If you are Jain: tell us in advance and we will arrange your visit for the morning worship.
Walking the temple, hall by hall
The plinth and the stair
- A high base: the temple stands on a high plinth, with a broad stair up to each of its four entrances.
- Pause at the top: let your eyes adjust from the bright courtyard to the cool, pale light inside.
The halls and courtyards
- Near-perfect symmetry: halls and courtyards surround the central shrine, so whichever door you take, you arrive at a face of Adinath.
- Open courtyards: between the halls, they pour light down onto the marble at midday.
The central shrine
- Four images of Adinath: back to back, facing the four directions.
- Watch, do not crowd: worshippers bring rice, flowers and sandalwood paste. Stand aside and let them pass first.
The forest of pillars
1,444 by tradition: some carved with dancers and musicians, others with flowers and geometric bands.
- The trick: they are arranged so that from almost every point you can see one of the images of Adinath through the columns.
- How to walk: slowly, stopping often. The views change with every step.
The domes and ceilings
Look up: domes carved in rings of figures and petals that narrow to a great pendant, like a stone chandelier.
- Celestial dancers: some ceilings show figures in a circle, holding hands.
- The wish-fulfilling tree: others are carved with kalpavriksha scrolls. Bring a small torch, because the finest carving sits in shadow.
The Parshvanath relief
The most famous carving: Parshvanath, the twenty-third tirthankara, sheltered by a canopy of serpent hoods twisting into an endless knot.
- The tradition: the snakes have 1,008 heads, carved from a single slab, and the tail of each can be traced through the knot.
- Ask your guide: it is easy to miss on your own.
The small shrines at the edges
- Rows of them: around the edges of the temple, each with its own small spire.
- From outside: these many spires and domes rise towards the centre like a hill of marble.
Reading the stone, in plain words
A mandala in stone: the plan is close to perfectly symmetrical around the central shrine, a diagram of the universe with the tirthankara at its heart.
Mandapa: a pillared hall. Ranakpur has many of them, opening one into another, so the building feels like a forest rather than a room.
- Shikhara: the curved spire over a shrine. Count them from outside and you will see why people compare the temple to a hill.
- Toranas and brackets: carved arches and supports between the pillars, many shaped like garlands or the curling bodies of celestial figures.
- Light as material: open courtyards between the halls are part of the design. The builders used daylight as carefully as marble.
- The western Indian tradition: Ranakpur belongs to the great school of temple building of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the same tradition that, centuries earlier, produced the Dilwara temples.
- The wider vocabulary: our architecture guide explains the terms across Rajasthan.
The light, through the day
Morning: cool and almost grey, with the sound of worship and the smell of sandalwood.
Midday: white and glowing, as light pours down from the open courtyards between the halls.
- Late afternoon: gold and honey, with many of the day's coaches gone.
- Our advice: if you can, visit once at the start of visiting hours and once near closing time.
- For photographers: the late light inside the halls is extraordinary, within the temple's rules. Our photography tips cover etiquette.
The smaller temples and the Sun temple
The Neminath and Parshvanath temples
- Within the complex: two smaller Jain temples, to Neminath, the twenty-second tirthankara, and to Parshvanath.
- Quieter and more intimate: with richly carved outer walls. A good place to sit and let the great temple settle in your mind.
The Sun temple
Older: a Hindu temple to Surya, generally dated to the thirteenth century, a short distance away by the road.
- The carving: bands of warriors, horses and chariots, and Surya himself in his chariot drawn by seven horses.
- What it tells you: this valley was sacred to more than one faith, and the Rajput kings who ruled it worshipped the sun as an ancestor.
A short introduction to the Jain faith
Ahimsa: non-violence towards every living being, the central idea of Jainism.
The tirthankaras: the twenty-four ford-makers, teachers who crossed the river of rebirth and showed the way. Adinath was the first, Mahavira the last.
- Mahavira: lived in the sixth or fifth century BCE. Adinath belongs to a far more distant age of legend.
- The cloth over the mouth: some worshippers cover their mouths so as not to harm tiny living beings.
- Food: strict Jains are vegetarian, many avoid root vegetables such as onions, garlic and potatoes, and many do not eat after sunset.
- Monks and nuns: walk barefoot, own almost nothing and travel on foot, often staying at temples like this one.
- The patrons: western India's prosperous Jain merchant communities built many of the region's finest temples. Our page on temples and pilgrim towns introduces the others.
Eating near a Jain temple
The bhojanshala: pilgrims eat simple vegetarian meals in the Jain way at the temple's own dining hall.
Hotel thalis: dal, seasonal vegetables, kadhi made from yoghurt and gram flour, bajra or wheat rotis with ghee, and sweets made with jaggery.
- In winter: look for makki ki roti, the maize bread of the Aravalli villages.
- Jain food on request: tell your hotel and chauffeur in advance. No meat or eggs, no root vegetables, and often an early dinner before sunset.
- The flavours: spices, tomatoes, raw mango, dried berries and lentils. Guests are often surprised by how good it is.
- The wider table: our Rajasthani food guide.
When to visit
October to March: warm days, cool nights and the forest still green from the rains. The busiest season, but the temple absorbs the crowds, especially later in the day.
The monsoon: green hills, rushing streams and low clouds over the spires. The valley at its most beautiful.
- Best months
- October to March
- Monsoon
- July to September, green and misty
- Mahavir Jayanti
- March or April
- Paryushan
- August or September
- Summer
- April to June, visit at cool hours
- Summer: hot, and the marble courtyards burn at midday. Wear socks and visit early or late.
- Mahavir Jayanti: the birth anniversary of Mahavira, in March or April, brings large crowds of pilgrims.
- Paryushan: the most important period of fasting and reflection in the Jain year, in August or September.
- Diwali: in October or November, remembered by Jains as the night of Mahavira's liberation.
Getting there, and what to pair it with
From Udaipur: about two and a half hours by road, through the Aravallis.
From Jodhpur: about three and a half hours.
- From Kumbhalgarh: about an hour west, down a winding road through the sanctuary. Walk the wall at dawn, then drive down. See our Kumbhalgarh wall walk.
- The whole drive: Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur takes about seven hours with stops. Our note on Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur has the route.
- Narlai: the temple village with its granite hill and white elephant, a short drive on. See Narlai.
- Jawai: leopards among granite hills, close by if you have time. See Jawai.
- The Dilwara temples: if you love Ranakpur, add the older, smaller and even more finely carved Dilwara temples at Mount Abu.
Where to stay near Ranakpur
Beside the temple
Fateh Bagh: a heritage property of the HRH Group, rebuilt here from an older building, with period furniture and orchards.
- Mana Hotel: next door, with calm modern design in clean lines and wood.
- Why stay here: an easy late afternoon visit and an early start.
Rawla Narlai
- Our favourite in the area: a former royal hunting lodge in Narlai village, with courtyards and terraces.
- The evening: dinner by a lamplit stepwell outside the village. See Rawla Narlai.
SUJAN JAWAI
- A luxury tented camp: among the granite hills of Jawai, where leopards live near Rabari villages. See SUJAN JAWAI.
Rohet Garh, towards Jodhpur
- A family-run heritage house: with gardens, a lake and Marwari horses, a soft landing before the city. See Rohet Garh.
A night in the valley, hour by hour
Late afternoon, the first visit
Arrive after lunch: from Kumbhalgarh or Udaipur, and check in near the temple.
- Walk across late: when the marble turns gold and many coaches have left. Walk without a guidebook and let the scale sink in.
- End at the Sun temple: as the sun drops behind the hills.
Evening, the quiet
- After dark: peafowl calling, distant bells, the odd jeep on the forest road.
- Dinner: a simple vegetarian meal under the stars, then an early night. There is nothing else to do, and that is the point.
Morning, the second visit
A forest walk first: with a naturalist, looking for langurs, parakeets and, with great luck, a leopard's tracks.
- Back to the temple with a guide: as visiting hours begin, for the carvings you missed: the serpents of Parshvanath, the dancers in the domes, the pillars nearest the shrine.
- Then on: to Jodhpur or Narlai by late morning.
What most visitors miss
The view between the pillars: stop and look for the face of Adinath through the columns. It appears from almost everywhere.
The ceilings in shadow: the most delicate carving is above you and in the dark. A small torch helps.
- The Parshvanath knot: follow one serpent's tail through the coils with your guide.
- The pillars nearest the shrine: some of the finest carving is closest to the centre, where few visitors linger.
- The outer walls of the smaller temples: carved figures that most people never walk round to see.
- The Sun temple: older than the great temple, and usually empty.
- The langurs in the trees outside: wild animals. Don't feed them, and keep food out of sight.
Who will love Ranakpur
Lovers of architecture and craft: this is among the finest marble carving anywhere.
Seekers of sacred places: the calm of a working temple, with bells and soft chanting.
- Travellers tired of forts: no ramparts, no battles, no royal apartments, just light and stone.
- Families with older children: hunting for different pillars and hidden carvings in the ceilings.
- Less suited to: anyone who wants drama and battlefield history, or finds rules on dress and leather a burden. A short stop is then enough.
- Going deeper: our Sacred Rajasthan journey links Ranakpur with Nathdwara, Pushkar and Ajmer, and our Ranakpur page has more.