Ranakpur
Jain temples
We left early in the morning from Jodhpur for Udaipur. The trip would take about six hours, but en route we had planned a stop to visit the Jain temple complex at Ranakpur.
The main temple of Adamath is supported by 1444 columns, all distinct and richly carved.
We got on a very rural route and then on a mountain road, so we passed through small villages with situations of the daily life of people from deep India. Families of villagers traveling sitting on top of trucks, old ladies carrying bundles of branches on their heads, shepherds with their colorful turbans and white clothes guiding their goats, children sitting in their homes, dozens and dozens of fairs... The trip was like a movie. We kept telling each other what we were discovering on each side, so that none of us would miss those scenes of another world for our eyes.
The temples are located in the Aravalli Mountains and were built in the 15th century by a merchant who had a divine vision to honor Adinath, the first of the Tirthankaras of Jainism. The village and temples are named after the monarch of the area, Rana Kumbha, who supported their construction.
Upon arrival, we bought entrance tickets, took off our shoes and climbed the steps to gain access.
We had been told that we could not enter with any leather, drinks, food or pens. All for security reasons.
Once in the large temple full of carved columns, a priest approached us and offered us a blessing. We naively accepted without realizing that we had to pay, like everything else in India!
We gave him a measly ten rupees that were not well received by the monk and went to tour its different sectors, while listening to the audio guide included in the entrance ticket. We don't particularly like this guide, but we were able to get some information out of it.
Photos of the altars and the gods -as in almost all sacred places- were forbidden, and the ceremonies were held while hundreds of tourists wandered around lost.
Once the tour was over we left for Udaipur arriving in time for a glorious sunset.