We got up at the usual time and left the hotel at 9 am. To drive to the large Jain temple at Ranakpur. The drive was about three hours and was through quite dry country along narrow winding roads and up and down quite steep hills and valleys. As usual, at the worst moment we ran into a truck or a bus and had to squeeze past. In the villages en route, ladies in very colorful saris carried loads on their heads, water, firewood or groceries. Small shops stocked needs for the locals.
We arrived at then temple just before 12 pm which is when foreigners are allowed to visit. After placing all prohibited articles in a locker, cameras (except John who had a pass to photograph), anything leather, backpacks, etc. At noon, the temple opened. They are very strict about the dress and Claire’s dress did not meet the norm and she had to go back and add something which covered her legs to a greater degree. She complied and was allowed in. We were met by the Chief Priest who showed us around. The temple was constructed between 1631 and 1694. The architect and builder are memorialized on two to the columns with two very modest small statues which they requested so as not to defer attention from the beauty of the temple itself. The builder’s statue is within eye sight of the main statues gleaming eyes. There are 1,444 columns within the temple and every one is carved differently. This is an amazing feat as the carving is very intricate and detailed. The ceilings of the four domes are remarkably decorated and only a photo will give an impression, albeit a rather portobello of the detail contained in the marble carving. The temple has no electric light but is planned to be well lit by daylight. There are glass chandeliers but they are not for illumination. Secreted behind grille doors are statues of the Gods who can be seen staring back at you as you peer in at them. The outside steeple is not made of marble but is of sandstone covered in plaster as marble would become discolored in the open air. The plaster does turn black when the rains come although that is not often. We were soon back on the bus to go to Udaipur airport to catch our flight on Indigo from Udaipur to Jaipur. We found that our baggage was in total 80 kgs over the limit allowed and although this was reduced to 70 kgs it still cost the group $500 in total or about $80 per couple. This drama over, the flight was otherwise uneventful and we were soon landing at Jaipur and picked up by the Radsisson Blue Hotel cars and transported to the hotel.
After a quick wash and clean up in our rooms, MAC fell asleep for about 20 minutes, we went down to a Chinese restaurant in the hotel for dinner. This restaurant seemed to have staff straight from Fawlty Towers!! The food took a long time to come and was delivered in a rather asymmetric order. The food was not bad when it came but, for a Chinese restaurant where food usually flies out of the kitchen, this was slow motion in action. Despite frequent reminders from Darshana and Hemant and others, they just did not seem to be able to produce food in anything like a reasonable time. However, we did finish dinner quite late and sank into bed and off to sleep very quickly. Tomorrow, we are to repack into smaller bags, leaving the larger ones in Jaipur and taking the smaller bags with us to Jaisalmer where we would stay for one night at a desert camp.
We arrived at then temple just before 12 pm which is when foreigners are allowed to visit. After placing all prohibited articles in a locker, cameras (except John who had a pass to photograph), anything leather, backpacks, etc. At noon, the temple opened. They are very strict about the dress and Claire’s dress did not meet the norm and she had to go back and add something which covered her legs to a greater degree. She complied and was allowed in. We were met by the Chief Priest who showed us around. The temple was constructed between 1631 and 1694. The architect and builder are memorialized on two to the columns with two very modest small statues which they requested so as not to defer attention from the beauty of the temple itself. The builder’s statue is within eye sight of the main statues gleaming eyes. There are 1,444 columns within the temple and every one is carved differently. This is an amazing feat as the carving is very intricate and detailed. The ceilings of the four domes are remarkably decorated and only a photo will give an impression, albeit a rather portobello of the detail contained in the marble carving. The temple has no electric light but is planned to be well lit by daylight. There are glass chandeliers but they are not for illumination. Secreted behind grille doors are statues of the Gods who can be seen staring back at you as you peer in at them. The outside steeple is not made of marble but is of sandstone covered in plaster as marble would become discolored in the open air. The plaster does turn black when the rains come although that is not often. We were soon back on the bus to go to Udaipur airport to catch our flight on Indigo from Udaipur to Jaipur. We found that our baggage was in total 80 kgs over the limit allowed and although this was reduced to 70 kgs it still cost the group $500 in total or about $80 per couple. This drama over, the flight was otherwise uneventful and we were soon landing at Jaipur and picked up by the Radsisson Blue Hotel cars and transported to the hotel.
After a quick wash and clean up in our rooms, MAC fell asleep for about 20 minutes, we went down to a Chinese restaurant in the hotel for dinner. This restaurant seemed to have staff straight from Fawlty Towers!! The food took a long time to come and was delivered in a rather asymmetric order. The food was not bad when it came but, for a Chinese restaurant where food usually flies out of the kitchen, this was slow motion in action. Despite frequent reminders from Darshana and Hemant and others, they just did not seem to be able to produce food in anything like a reasonable time. However, we did finish dinner quite late and sank into bed and off to sleep very quickly. Tomorrow, we are to repack into smaller bags, leaving the larger ones in Jaipur and taking the smaller bags with us to Jaisalmer where we would stay for one night at a desert camp.
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