Tucked away deep in the forested Aravalli Hills in the district of Pali in Rajasthan, the Ranakpur Jain Temple is arguably one of the most beautiful of Jain temples in India.
Built entirely in marble by the Rajput Rana Khumba in 1437 AD, the temple stands on a built-up basement area covering 48,000 square feet, has twenty-nine halls, eighty domes and one-thousand four-hundred forty four pillars, each intricately carved with not one pillar alike another.
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The most notable feature of this temple is the fact that it doesn't conform to the longitudinal architectural forms of Indian temples, but is built like a cruciform. This form allows for four separate entrances, one on each side. Each of these entrances lead through a series of columned halls to a central arena and the sanctum that contains the 'Chaumukh' or the four-faced marble image of the Thirthankara Lord Adinath. The ceilings of the temples are carved with fine, lace-like foliate scrollwork and geometric patterns. The domes are carved in concentric bands and the brackets connecting the base of the dome with the top are covered with figures of deities.
