Poetry in Stone - 26

This is twenty-sixth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples are exceptionally carved.

The external wall and the tower of the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Bhadravati is beautifully carved. On the external wall in the middle layer there are  various   sculptures of Hindu deities. On the layer above one can see carvings that resemble small towers.

Similar tower like carvings of bigger size can also be seen on the Rajarani Temple at    Bhubaneshwar. The minute carvings in this tower are beautiful and details are amazing.

At Jain Temple in Ranakpur the carvings in the temple ceilings are very unique and differ from every other ceiling in the temple. One of the smaller ceiling has carving of Ohm. It is impossible to count number of ohms carved into it. It is a beautiful carving one should not miss.

At A.S.I Museum in Shimoga there are several sculptures excavated from various locations in India. One such sculpture is that of Lord Vishnu belonging to the 10th century  excavated from Ayanur in Karnataka state.

Jain Temple, Ranakpur

Jain Temple at Ranakpur carved in amber stone is of exceptional beauty. This temple dates back to period anywhere between the late 14th to mid-15th centuries. Dedicated to Adinatha, the temple occupies an area of approximately 60 x 62 meters. 

The temple, with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and cupolas rises majestically from the slope of a hill. The construction of the temple and quadrupled image symbolize the Tirthankara's conquest of the four cardinal directions and hence the cosmos.

Entering the temple one is overwhelmed by the the lavish abundance of marvelous stonemason works on white marble. There are four subsidiary shrines, 24 pillared halls.

There are totally 1444 columns each from one piece and all rich decorated with most elaborate sculptures. The pillars, carved in exquisite detail, support the temple. The pillars are all differently carved and no two pillars are the same.

Carvings in the ceilings are not alike. There are approximately 6 big ceilings and many more smaller ones. The carvings in the big ceiling are amazing and they are very different from each other.

Sun Temple, Ranakpur

Ranakpur is widely known for its marble Jain temple, and for a much older Sun Temple which lies 300 meters away from the Jain Temple.

It was built around the 13th century and renovated in the 15th century. Built of white lime stone in the classic Nagara style, the temple shows a profusion of intricate sculptural work.

It consists of a sanctum crowned with Shikhara and an octagonal mandapam which has six verandas. Exterior of the sanctum contains the sculptures of Sun God seated on a chariot.

Poetry in Stone - 16

This is sixteenth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. There are various intricate sculptures in each of these temples where each one of them is better than the other.

The 14th century Jain Tempe at Ranakpur is beautifully carved in marble. Every inch of the temple is exceptionally carved. The pillars are intricately carved withe the craftsmanhip that are unmatched. Here top part of one of the pillar in temple is shown. 

There is a beautiful sculpture of Hanuman in Hampi.  This is more than 6ft big sculpture has ornamental decorations carved beautifully around the body. This was kept in one of the small rooms there near an excavation site.

The 14th century Sri Ranganathswamy Temple at Srirangam is a sculptural marvel. There are various sub-shrines that are carved beautifully in the temple. On one such shrine there are various sculptures on the external wall from left to right: a maiden with a parrot, Lord Krishna playing the flute and a maiden playing the vina.

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Poetry in Stone - 9

This is ninth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. Today we will see how the elephants have been carved from stone in various temples through the centuries.

At the 12th century Chennakesava Temple of Belur there are intricate sculptures and friezes. They include elephants, lions, horses, episodes from the Indian mythological epics. What interested me is the chain of elephants at the base of the temple.

Watch them carefully and you can see two elephants as if they are interacting with each other. The elephant in the front is turning back and questioning "Why are you pushing me so hard?" See it for yourself below.



In contrast to the red color of 16th century Aghoreshwara Temple of Ikkeri there are two small black stone elephant sculptures at the entrance. Around its neck is a there is intricately carved chain of stone bells.

There are two beautifully carved stone elephants on either side of the entrance of the 9th century Ranganathswamy Temple at Srirangapatana. The carvings on the body of elephant are awesome. 

At the ancient white marble Jain Temple, Ranakpur one can see huge elephant carved in white marble.



In Mahablaipuram at the site of Panch Rathas one can see life-size rock cut elephant. There are many more such beautiful carvings in each of the ancient heritage sites which always mesmerize us.

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Heritage Jain Temples Stamps

Government of India on 14th October 2009 released two stamps on the Jain Heritage Temples - Ranakpur Temple and Dilwara Temples. Each of these stamps are of denomination Rpees 5.

I visited both these temples in December 2004, when I toured the State of Rajasthan.

Ranakpur Temples: Located in Ranakpur (State: Rajasthan) this 15th century temple is famous world-wide for their intricate and superb architectural style. This temple is wholly constructed in light colored marble covering an total area of 48000 sq feet. There are more than 1400 exquisitely carved pillars that support the temple. 

Dilwara Temples: Located in Mount Abu (State: Rajasthan) these temples of 11th to the 13th century AD are world famous for their minutely carved ceilings, doorways, pillars and panels in marble. The specialty of these temples is externally they look very plane. This temple is on World Heritage Monuments list.

Ranakpur, temple town of Rajasthan

From Jodhpur we proceeded towards Ranakpur which is located in the remote valley of Aravali range. It is situated in the Pali district to the North of Udaipur. It has one of the largest and most important Jain Temples in the country. The place is well connected through a road network to other places in the region. Ranakpur is named after Rana Kumbha whom Dharna Sah, a Jain businessman, approached when he had the vision of his great temple to ask for the land for its construction. Renowned for some marvelously carved Jain temples in amber stone, Ranakpur is one of the five holiest places of the Jain community and exceptional in beauty. 

Jain Temple

Ranakpur is one of the five holiest places of the Jain community. It is famous because of some marvelously carved Jain temples in amber stone, of exceptional beauty. The dating of this temple is controversial but it is largely considered to be anywhere between the late 14th to mid-15th centuries.

This temple is dedicated to Adinatha. The temple occupies an area of approximately 60 x 62 meters. The temple, with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and cupolas rises majestically from the slope of a hill. 

Sun Temple

Ranakpur is widely known for its marble Jain temple, and for a much older Sun Temple which lies opposite the former.

From Ranakpur we traveled to Mount Abu, Hill of Wisdom

Distance: Ranakpur ---> Mount Abu 181 kms

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.