Raunakpur - Cradle of Jainism

Rajasthan. While your imagination conjures up images of the sun, sand and forts, I would like to take you far away from the obvious. Raunakpur. Surrounded by undulating hilly tops hiding behind lush green foliage with gurgling streams rushing down their pebbled path, this place screams anything but Rajasthan. However, defying the usual geographical terrain and all odds that this state of India holds dear to the region Raunakpur of Rajasthan stands out to be different in all its charm.

It is here that Jainism found one of its cradles in the famous Ranakpur Jain Temple or Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara dedicated to Tirthankara Rishabhanatha in the 15th century. This temple is famous for 24 idol-studded halls. Its breathtaking architectural marvel is enough to make one gasp.

If stones could tell stories what would they say? If white marbles could say something what would they say? Maybe under the expert hands of craftsmen and artisans, they could sing praises of the Lord, just like they do here. The minute work on the stone that unfolds before your eyes as you stroll around will make you wonder ‘How did they do it?’ Not a single surface is left untouched by the magical chisel, be it the walls, the pillars or even the dome above. The details of the stone carving show the dedication and devotion of those craftsmen and artisans who made the impossible possible, making the stone speak for themselves.

Each carving that is made here, in the name Lord has a story to tell. Amidst the whispering prayers of the devotees and sheer surprise escaping from the lips of those who visit the temple for the first time, if you listen carefully maybe you will hear the tinkering of the artisans whose pain, sweat and devotion created this one of its kind cradles of Jainism.