Overview
The Chaturmukha temple at Ranakpur, one of the largest and most celebrated Jain temples in India, built in white marble over some 48,000 square feet in the form of a Nalini-Gulma Vimana, a celestial vehicle. Sect: Shvetambara.
History
Built 1389 to 1458 CE, founded by the Jain merchant Dharna Shah of Ghanerao under Rajput patronage. Some sources give a later start of 1437 or 1439.
Spiritual Significance
Ranakpur's fame rests on its pillars: 1,444 of them, each individually carved, no two alike, arranged so that the view to the central image is never blocked from anywhere in the hall. The four-faced form of the image, looking in all four directions, expresses the tirthankara's omnidirectional gaze.
Pilgrimage Information
Getting there and getting in. Road-accessible with no climb. Nearest railheads are Falna, about 35 km, and Rani, about 39 km. Jain temples of this rank commonly prohibit leather articles, restrict photography, and expect bathing before worship. Where this page does not state a restriction, it is because no source documented one for this particular site, not because none applies. Confirm on arrival.
Preservation
Protection status. Not established in the sources consulted.
Sources
- Ranakpur Jain temple other
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
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