‘Those marble temples were just astounding. I’ve never seen such amazing carving work anywhere, not even at the Taj Mahal, and the level of perfection and intricacy of detail were beyond description. The artistry was of such a high order that my eyes almost couldn’t take it. The most exquisite bits were the ceilings of the corridors surrounding the central shrines...’ Recognise these lines? If you’re a regular reader of BSM, you should (and if you’re not, go and buy some copies at once). Nevertheless, allow me to refresh your collective memories. These were approximately the words going through my head while I stood goggle-eyed at the Dilwara Jain temples in Mount Abu, and they eventually made it into print in our previous issue. I was convinced that what I was looking at was the last word, the piece de resistance, perhaps even the bee’s knees of Jain architecture. The judge had given a favourable verdict, the courtroom had been cleared, the case was closed.
Until, that is, I happened to give in to a last-minute impulse and took a detour to Ranakpur, on my way to Kumbhalgarh. I had heard that they dealt in a pretty slap-up line of Jain temple around those parts, so when the signboard hove into view I hung a right-turn and trundled off in that direction. It was a beautiful winters day and the fact that the scenery wasn’t particularly distracting allowed me to ponder over the things one usually does on long drives – why chocolate ice-cream invariably drips onto white shirts, my inability to play the guitar and sing at the same time and other issues of critical importance. In between all of this, I also wondered whether I had made the right decision – I was going just over a 100 kilometres off my original route, in addition to which I couldn’t bring myself to believe that anything could top the Dilwara temples.
As you will have guessed by now, I did make the right decision and the Ranakpur temple didn’t just top the Dilwara complex – it pole vaulted Bubka-like over them. When I first entered the parking lot, however, I had no inkling of what was in store for me. The place was nice enough, nestled in the middle of some hills, with well laid out lawns and shady avenues. I remember making my way to the main temple and thinking ‘What are you waiting for? Bring it on, then.’ Well, it brought it on all right – with interest.
Quite simply, the Chaturmukha Jain temple KO’d me within a second of the bell. Here and now, I say that whatever I told you about Dilwara stands cancelled, struck from the records and null and void. I would even have recommended tearing up the pages and stuffing them down your throat, but I tried that and should report that paper doesn’t taste very nice. All thoughts of Dilwara went hurtling out the window as I stood in the shadow of its enormous three-storey presence. The sheer size of it was incredible – how on earth they managed to pull it off in those days is beyond me. One of the things that always gets me at ancient monuments is the level of precision on display; if one corner of a ledge is 5.2 cm long, you can bet your bottom paisa that the other will also be exactly 5.2 cm. I’m probably underestimating the skill of the artisans in those days, but to me (who would produce a drunken squiggle even with a slide rule), it’s always a thing of wonder.
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