The mighty temple of Ranakpur was made by Seth Dharna Sah, a wealthy businessman as well as a staunch believer of Jainism. One night, he had an unusual dream of a celestial vehicle, Nalinigulm Vimana and it impressed him very much. He came up with an idea of giving expression to his vision in the form of a temple and started searching for a generous sponsor. This quest finally took him to Rana Kumbha, the powerful ruler of Mewar. He being a connoisseur of art and architecture, extended his wholehearted support and donated the land.

The next task was finding a skilled architect who could transform the Nalinigulm Vimana to its corresponding temple structure. After a long search, Dharna Shah could find the skill in Depaka, an ace architect from the neighboring village. The construction started in 1389 AD and it took 50 years of continuous labour which culminated in the construction of the temple in 1439 AD.

In honour of Rana Kumbha’s devout contribution, the temple came to be known as ... More

The mighty temple of Ranakpur was made by Seth Dharna Sah, a wealthy businessman as well as a staunch believer of Jainism. One night, he had an unusual dream of a celestial vehicle, Nalinigulm Vimana and it impressed him very much. He came up with an idea of giving expression to his vision in the form of a temple and started searching for a generous sponsor. This quest finally took him to Rana Kumbha, the powerful ruler of Mewar. He being a connoisseur of art and architecture, extended his wholehearted support and donated the land.

The next task was finding a skilled architect who could transform the Nalinigulm Vimana to its corresponding temple structure. After a long search, Dharna Shah could find the skill in Depaka, an ace architect from the neighboring village. The construction started in 1389 AD and it took 50 years of continuous labour which culminated in the construction of the temple in 1439 AD.

In honour of Rana Kumbha’s devout contribution, the temple came to be known as Ranakpur. Even though the temple was at its zenith of popularity during the 15th and 16th centuries, the 17th century witnessed a decline in its status. The temple fell victim to Mughal attacks and became a hub of dacoits. Later in the middle of the 20th century the temple had a major facelift and it reopened to the public in 1953.  Nestled in the splendid Aravalli valley, it still attracts millions of people across the globe.