4 FAMOUS JAIN TEMPLES NEAR UDAIPUR

1 RANAKPUR TEMPLE –

Ranakpur Temples are acclaimed world-wide for their intricate and superb architectural style. These temples form one of the five major pilgrimages of the Jains. Located in village of Ranakpur near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan, Ranakpur temple lies at a distance of 95 kms in the north of Udaipur city. The temple is easily accessible from the city of Udaipur as regular buses are easily available. Built in the 15th century, Ranakpur temples are known for being the largest and most important temples of the Jain cult. The temple is said to have been built by Seth Dharna Sah (a Jain businessman) with the aid of Rana Kumbha, who ruled Mewar in the 15th century. The Jain Temples of Ranakpur are certainly creditable for their splendid architecture. This temple is wholly constructed in light colours marble and comprises a basement covering an area of 48000 sq feet. There are more than 1400 exquisitely carved pillars that support the temple.

2 RISHABHADEO TEMPLE –

Rikhabdeo (aka Rishabhadeo), named after the first Tirthankara Rishabhdev of Jainism and the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is a census town in Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan, in north-west India. Rishabhadeo is situated 65 kilometres (40 mi) from Udaipur and is on Udaipur-Ahmedabad Road. The name of the town is also Dhulev, however it is better known as Rishabhadeo. It is a well-known pilgrim site for the temple Kesariyaji Tirth dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara and the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Local Bhils also worship the deity. Lord Rishabhadeo is also "Kesariaji" because a large offering of saffron (keshar, a common ingredient in Jain rituals) is made to the deity. This temple was considered to be one of the four main religious institutions of Mewar, ruled by the Sisodia Maharanas of Udaipur,  as stated by Chatur Singhji Bavji.

3 BHANDASAR TEMPLE –

Bhandasar Jain Temple or Banda Shah Jain temple is situated at Bikaner, Rajasthan. This temple is famous for wall painting and art work. This temple is protected by Archaeological Survey of India. This temple was constructed by Bhandasa Oswal in 15th century. The temple is dedicated to the 5th tirthankar Sumatinatha. According to legends 40,000 kilograms of ghee was used in the construction of this temple instead of water in mortar. Bhandasar Jain Temple is a three-storey temple, famous for its beautiful leaf paintings, frescoes and ornamented mirror work. This temple is constructed using red sand stone with beautiful paintings and yellow-stone carvings on walls, pillars of the sanctum and mandapa. On the walls there are illustrations depicting the lives of the 24 Jain tirthankaras. The temple consist of garbhagriha, antarala, mahamandapa and ardhamandapa. The sanctum is pancharatha (five rathas) is covered by shikhara having karna-amalakas and amalakas at top.

4 AJMER JAIN TEMPLE –

The Ajmer Jain temple, also known as Soniji Ki Nasiyan, is an architecturally rich Jain temple. It was built in the late nineteenth century. The main chamber, known as the Swarna Nagari "City of Gold", has several gold-plated wooden figures, depicting several figures in the Jain religion. This golden chamber of the temple uses 1000 kg of gold to carve out depiction of Ayodhya. The entrance gate of the temple is made of red sand stone brought from Karauli. In front of the gateway is the marble staircase, leading to the main temple, which is embellished with the images of the Tirthankars. The temple, dedicated to Rishabha or Adinatha in 1865, was constructed of red sandstone in a matter of a few years, but it took twenty-five years, from 1870 to 1895, to fashion - by artisans at Jaipur - the thousands of individual parts required to assemble a three-dimensional replica of the story of Rishabha in accordance with an old manuscript by Acharya Jinasena.