Ranakpur Jain Temple

Ranakpur Jain Temple or Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara is a Śvētāmbara Jain temple dedicated to Tirthankara Rishabhanatha. It is a major pilgrimage place for the Śvetāmbara community. Seth Dhanna/Dharna Shah, a local Jain businessperson, started construction of the temple in the 15th century after a divine vision. It is one of the largest and most important temples of Jain culture.

I have to say, I found the entire place overwhelming. Firstly, getting inside was a mission. I bought my ticket, plus a pass for my phone so that I could take pictures. I then had to have a compulsory audio guide for which I had to leave a bank card as a deposit! They did give me a receipt for it. I left the ticket booth with five separate bits of paper, a headset, and something that closely resembled an old Nokia phone! I then had to remove my shoes and take another ticket as a receipt for them. Next came the bag search. The Jain religion doesn't allow leather or animal products of any kind. Followers are strictly vegetarian and must not consume fruits or roots considered to contain life forms. The bag search was thorough to ensure no illicit goods entered the temple. At the same time as this was going on, another officious female was instructing me to cover my head. I was trying to tell her that my scarf was in my bag. She kept saying 'Cover your head', 'Cover your head', at the same time as she was prodding my head to make sure I'd understood! By ther the time I'd retrieved my scarf, covered my head, had my phone ticket scrutinised, and finally been allowed to enter, I'd lost the will! 😂Read more