Chaturmukh Bhagvan Adinatha idols and Infinite pillars
Rajasthan is worldwide known for its Jain temples and one of those is Ranakpur Jain Temple. Ranakpur is a village located in Desuri Tehsil near Sadri town in Pali district of Rajasthan. This marvel of gems is constructed by marble stone. This temple is dedicated to Tirthankara Adinatha Rishabhdevji , the first Tirthankar of Jainism.
The important feature of this temple is that Lord Adinatha is seated facing all four directions and thus this is also called Chaturmukh Jain Temple. Another feature of this temple is one can have a glimpse of Bhagvan Adinatha from each and every corner of the temple.
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The most outstanding feature of this temple is the infinite number of pillars and their arrangement and alignment in the temple. According to some belief there are 1444 pillars in the temple but surely one cannot count them. Though the temple has numerous pillars but none of them block the image of Bhagvan Adinatha.
In the north of the temple there is a Rayan Tree and there are the footprints of Bhagvan Rishabhdev on a slab of marble. On one of the wall one can see the deity of Shri Parshwanathjee with 108 heads of snakes and numerous tails. And one cannot find the end of the tails. The ceiling at the entrance is decorated with Akichaka , a bearded man with five bodies representing fire, water, earth , heaven and air.
Surely this temple is a architectural gem and its unimaginable how people have constructed it in 15th century. According to a legend local Jain businessman whose name was Dharna Shah had a divine vision to construct this temple dedicated to Bhagvan Adinatha and thus the main architect known as Deppa made this realisation possible .Rana Kumbha the ruler of Mewar donated the land for the construction of the temple and town surrounding it thus the name Ranakpur came into existence.
By- Monica Saxena
