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Quote:
Originally Posted by akp
(Post 3005116)
This was when the innova had to reverse a few metres to make space for this bus...
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Yes - both H-4® and the Innova had to reverse up for 30-40 metres to make way for the bus, who refused to make way by reversing for 5 metres. You were lucky in being at the tail of the convoy, and had to reverse the least! :D That's how things go in the rural hinterlands of India - you don't pick a fight with locals over minor issues.
Anyway, a series of images from the Parasvanath temple at Ranakpur...
The Chaumukha Temple Quote:
The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built during the reign of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century, in the AD 1439. The basement is of 48,000 sq. feet area that covers the whole complex. There are four subsidiary shrines, twenty-four pillared halls and domes supported by over four hundred columns. The total number of columns is 1,444 all of which are intricately carved with no two being alike. The artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an interesting sight. In the assembly hall, there are two big bells weighing 108 kg whose sound echoes in the entire complex. The main temple is a Chaumukh or a four-faced temple dedicated to Adinath.
The main temple is the Adinath or Chaumukha temple (the four-faced temple) dedicated to the first tirthankara Adinath. Tucked away deep in the forested Aravalli hills, this is easily one of the most beautiful Jain temples in India. Built in the 15th century, the detailed and intricate carving on the marble looks like lace work rather than stone carving. The 15th century Adishwar temple or the Chaumaukha temple built by Sheth Dhanna Shah is a fine structure. It is in the form of a Nalinigulm Vimana (heavenly aircraft) that Shah had seen in his dream. Designed by Dipa Shilpi it took 65 years (1367- 1432) to erect and is the largest and most complex Jain temple in India. It also boasts of being one of the five most important holy shrines of the Jains.
The temple has 29 halls, 80 domes and the pavilions include 1444 pillars, each of them so intricately and artistically carved that they’ll leave a lasting impression on you. The figures of dancing goddesses, beautifully engraved on these pillars are an absolute architectural wonder. The best feature about these pillars is that no two pillars are alike in design and sculptures. Not only the pillars but almost every surface is carved with great intricacy. As you go from one chamber to another you’ll realize that it does not conform to the traditional longitudinal plan as of Indian temples but follows a cruciform one. This plan has four separate entrances, one on each side. Each of these then lead through a series of columned halls to a central arena and the sanctum which has the four faced white marble image of Lord Adinath. The first Jain saint Adinathji or Rishabhadev is surrounded by several other smaller shrines and domes. These are in turn surrounded by a Bhamati or range of cells for images, each of which has a roof of its own.
Source
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From the outside
Stepping inside
Pillars
Elephants Exquisite carvings
Ceiling rose!
Good place it seems, and an architectural paradise - Ranakpur I'm referring to! Keep them coming SS! clap:
What was the itinerary that you planned and respective distances?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nonstop-driver
(Post 3005869)
Keep them coming SS! clap:
What was the itinerary that you planned and respective distances?
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Thank you.
Itinerary - departure: around 5:15am. Reached Kumbhalgarh in convoy: 4:30 pm.
Return: Left Kumbhalgarh: around 10:30 am. Jaipur bypass: at 5:30 pm. Home: 11:45 pm.
Good TL SST, When we did this Kumbhalgarh + Ranakpur from Udaipur we made that mistake of coming down to Sayra from Kumbhal and then going up to Ranak. However, there seems to be a shorter route from Kumbhal via Sadri to Ranakpur.
The temples at Ranakpur were nice and clean all through... ...and the monkeys were funny (until they took a liking for you, that is!).
I came back to find H-4® had sprouted an extra windscreen wiper
Further investigation revealed this
One educated fella decided to find out at first hand what was written about them in these books that the 'phoren' folks carried
Found the page - now to bookmark it...
Man's best friend at play with man's ancestor...
A decoration in the Jain temple complex
The exit gate
Time to find a place for lunch - this is about a km further down the road from the temple complex. Also looks like it's a good place to stay the night.
We drive in...
...seat ourselves...
...and are elated to find non-veg on the menu, considering that we are so close to a Jain temple!
Spice up your lunch with fresh chilies
Flowers
A kingfisher that flew away before I could get a good pic
Nice going, SS.
Here are the ones I have from the main temple in Ranakpur:
Celebrating Christmas Eve with a birthday cake!
Meet Sarah and David from UK, who were staying at our hotel, and didn't want to celebrate Sarah's birthday all alone. The hotel arranged for a birthday cake for them (an excellent cake BTW, from the Aodhi Hotel, we were told), and we were invited too.
The next morning the couple, along with a guide from the hotel, trekked 16 km to Ranakpur (the distance by road is ~30km), where we met up again.
Excellant pics .. looks like a great place...Is it okay to plan vacations in month of march or will summers catch up
Quote:
Originally Posted by rajesh.sml
(Post 3008165)
Is it okay to plan vacations in month of march or will summers catch up
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We were told that even in the middle of summer, the temperature does not go really high, mainly because of the greenery all around, the water bodies and the altitude (around 1050-1100m above MSL - Mt. Abu, in comparison, is about 1250m above MSL). March should be a very good time to visit the area.
We spent a magical hour on top of a hill in Kumbhalgarh, where a forest department guest house was located, thanks to some special permission obtained at the last minute. The 360-degree view of the Aravallis as the sun set in the horizon, and a distant view of the Kumbhalgarh fort, meant a lot of pictures being shot. Here's a small collection of the better ones.
Panoramas of the Aravallis
Path to the Parshuram Mahadev Cave Kumbhalgarh Fort visible in the distance (to the left) Aubergines ripening in the sun The moon
The sunset Scorpios posing Lighting up the road ahead
The route from Gomti to Kumbhalgarh looks an interesting find, I always thought the only one from NH8 was the Nathdwara-Kumbhalgarh route! Thanks for the info on the short cut from Kumbhalgarh to Ranakpur.
How much time from Gomti to KUmbhalgarh?
Did you hear of any safety issues on this road? OK to travel by night?
Are there petrol pumps at Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur & the roads leading to both the places?
Quote:
Originally Posted by hvkumar
(Post 3014846)
How much time from Gomti to KUmbhalgarh?
Did you hear of any safety issues on this road? OK to travel by night?
Are there petrol pumps at Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur & the roads leading to both the places?
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Gomti > Kumbhalgarh Fort is about 43 km, add another 10 km to the Silent Valley Hotel.
No safety issues heard of for the stretch between Kumbhalgarh fort and Silent Valley hotel (we returned around 8 pm, after the sound-and-light show, so asked specifically at the hotel), and Gomti > Kumbhalgarh runs through small villages at times, and does not appear deserted - so early evening driving should not pose any hazards.
There is one petrol pump that we noticed at Kelwara, but none after that till the Ranakpur temple. Since all of us were running on full tank from the Essar pump I described earlier, we didn't need to refuel till we returned to the same pump on the way back.
Excellent travelogue. I am planning a week-long trip in these parts (from 5-12 January). Hotels in Kumbhalgarh and Udaipur have already been booked, just looking for a destination in the final 2 days (to choose between Jodhpur or Ghanerao). Needless to say, this served as a better reference to what I can expect to see in Kumbhalgarh than all the print/online guides put together.
Is it advisable to drive an i10 to these parts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SS-Traveller
(Post 3002770)
4 pits, one for each queen, with no plumbing. 50 feet below, is a room which collected the waste, and was subsequently cleared by sanitation workers of yore.
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Some other accounts say the cleaning was done by pigs :D
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