The Chaumukha temple at Ranakpur was begun in the fifteenth century under Rana Kumbha and took most of a century to finish. It is built four-faced — open on all sides to the four cardinal directions — around a shrine to Adinath, and the effect from inside is of a marble forest rather than a room.
The number everyone quotes is 1,444: the pillars holding the roof, carved so that no two are identical, and arranged so that none blocks the view of the central image from anywhere in the hall. The ceilings between them are worked into concentric rings of dancers and deities. It is the most technically astonishing interior in Rajasthan, and it sits in a wooded valley an hour and a half from anywhere.
Visiting Well
- Non-Jain visitors are admitted from around midday; mornings are reserved for worship.
- Leather is not permitted inside — belts, bags and shoes are left at the entrance.
- Roughly two and a half hours from Udaipur, and it pairs naturally with Kumbhalgarh on the same day.
How Elevated India Arranges It
We build Ranakpur into the Udaipur to Jodhpur drive rather than running it as a return trip, arrive for the opening of the visitor hours, and keep the afternoon light — which comes through the side openings and moves across the pillars — rather than racing on.
Questions, Answered
Can non-Jains visit the Ranakpur temple?
Yes, from around midday onwards, once the morning worship has finished. Leather items must be left outside, shoulders and knees covered, and photography is permitted in the hall but not of the central image.
How far is Ranakpur from Udaipur?
About two and a half hours by road. It works best built into the drive between Udaipur and Jodhpur, often paired with the fort at Kumbhalgarh, rather than as a day return from either city.
Journeys That Take You There
Palaces & Forts: The Heritage Path of Rajasthan
13 Days / 12 Nights
Grand Rajasthan: Royal Palaces & Desert Estates
19 Days / 18 Nights
Beyond the Fort Walls
20 Days / 19 Nights
Aravalli to Thar, by Bicycle
14 Days / 13 Nights · 9 cycling days
Explore the destination guide: Udaipur, Rajasthan ↗