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Ranakpur India
A remote valley in the Arawali range is home to Ranakpur, 98 kms away from Udaipur.This famous temple city in Rajasthan is known as a peaceful haven. It is one of the five most important Jain pilgrimage sites in the country. Ranakpur is named after Rana Kumbha, who had granted a huge amount of land to a Jain businessman for building of temples, way back in the 15th century.
Ranakpur is renowned for its carved Jain temples in amber stone. The main temple - covering an area of about 48,000 sq. ft., with 29 halls and more than 1,400 distinctly carved pillars - is a marvel of construction. The four images of Adinath are enshrined in the main temple called 'Chamukh', that is open on all four sides. Images of Tirthankaras are carved on the mandaps with a shikhar on top of all 24 of them. Supported by 420 columns, the three-storied temple has four small shrines with 80 spires. The temple's assembly hall has two huge bells weighing 108 kg each. When rung, the sounds of these bells engulf the whole complex .
