of lake Pichola. Visit The City Palace in all its ancient glory, the residence of
the Maharajas of Udiapur.AT EVENING PALACE ON WHEELS ENDS Check
in Hotel.
Day 12:
Full day trip to Ranakpur-Almost hidden in a green valley of
the Aravalli Hills, the Jain temples of Ranakpur are some of
the most beautifully carved temples in India.The dating of this
temple is controversial but it is largely
considered to be anywhere between the late 14th to mid-15th centuries.
Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dhanna Shah, a Porwad, is said to
have commissioned it, under the patronage of Rana Kumbha, then ruler of
Mewar. The architect who oversaw the project is said to have been named
Deepaka. There is an inscription on a pillar near the main shrine stating that
in 1439 Deepaka, an architect, constructed the temple at the direction of
Dharanka, a devoted Jain. Light colored marble has been used for the
construction of this grand temple which occupies an area of approximately 60
x 62 meters. The temple, with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and
cupolas rises majestically from the slope of a hill. Over 1444 marble pillars,
carved in exquisite detail, support the temple. The pillars are all differently
carved and no two pillars are the same. It is also said that it is impossible to
count the pillars. Also all the statues face one or the other statue. There is
one beautiful carving made out of a single marble rock where there 108
heads of snakes and numerous tails. One cannot find the end of the tails. The
image faces all four cardinal directions. In the axis of the main entrance, on
the western side, is the largest image. The temple is designed as
chaumukha—with four faces. The construction of the temple and quadrupled
image symbolize the Tirthankara's conquest of the four cardinal directions
and hence the cosmos These unexplored temples are supposed to be the
only cluster of Jain temples in the country. Overnight stay at hotel.
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