Ranakpur

Best known for the magnificent intricately carved Jain temple sited within this small village, 3 hour drive from Jodhpur and a 2 hour drive from Udaipur.

Off-white colored marble has been used for the construction of this 3,700 sq metre (40,000 sq ft) temple dedicated to Tirthankara Adinatha the first Tirthankar of the present half-cycle according to Jain cosmology. Over 1444 marble pillars each carved in exquisite detail with no two being the same, and no walls, support the temple.

Dharma Shah, a local Jain businessperson, with the aid of Rana Kumbha, who ruled Mewar in the 15th century, started construction of the temple in 1437 AD with the construction continuing until 1458 AD. The town of Ranakpur and the temple are named after the provincial ruler monarch, Rana Kumbha who supported the construction of the temple.

The temple is designed as chaumukha (with four faces), symbolizing the Tirthankara's conquest of the four cardinal directions and hence the cosmos.