Saturday 29 December 2012

The Rajasthan circuit - Day 7 - The Adinatha Jain Temple, Ranakpur - The 21st of November 2012



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Considered the most spectacular of the Jain Temples, the Adinatha Jain Temple didn't impress me as much as the first Jain Temple we had visited.
















Elisabeth and I had to wear a long shirt-like dress to cover our naked arms and soon looked like many of the worshippers who travel from afar.






























Definitely majestic taking into account its over 1444 marble pillars this Temple was designed as a chaumukha with four separate entrances, each of which leading through a remarkable forest of columns and a number of ornamented halls and chapels to the central sanctum with the four faced image of Adinatha.




 













 Each of the pillars is said to be carved with different patterns of floral motives and one of this Temple's glories the play of shadow and light  on the pillars as the sun moves from east to west.





 














 














 













The exquisite patterns of  foliage, tendrils and  flowers to be seen in the Kalpavali medallion  were worth being noted, so were the ceilings displaying the typical Rajasthani marble carver's art.

















Set in the southern wall and particularly beautiful the Parsvanatha plaque  showing the 23rd tirthankara  protected by a multi-headed cobra.

































(To be continued)








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