Chaumukha Adinath Temple
Ranakpur Jain Temple, Rajasthan
Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara, the four-faced temple — begun in the fifteenth century by Dharna Shah, a local Jain merchant, and dedicated to Adinath, the first Tirthankara of the present cycle. It is one of the largest Jain temples in India and the principal Svetambara pilgrimage site in this part of Rajasthan. The count everyone quotes is 1,444 marble pillars, and the claim that no two are carved alike holds up better than most such claims. Four entrances face four directions onto four images of Adinath. A working temple: leather off at the gate, and hours for visitors are set by the trust.
