Ranakpur

Ranakpur is a village located in Desuri tehsil near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan in western India. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur. 162 km from Jodhpur and 91 km from Udaipur, in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range. The Nearest Railway Station to reach Ranakpur is Falna Railway station. Ranakpur is one among the most famous places to visit in Pali, Rajasthan. Ranakpur is easily accessed by road from Udaipur.

Along with magnificent architecture and numerous pillars, the place is also famous for large population of monkeys that live in and around the place.

Ranakpur is widely known for its marble Jain temple, said to be the most spectacular of the Jain temples. There is also a small Sun temple which is managed by the Udaipur royal family trust.

Jain temple

The renowned Jain temple at Ranakpur is dedicated to Tirthankara Adinatha.

Local legend has it that Dharma Shah, a local Jain businessperson, started construction of the temple in the 15th century following a divine vision. The temple honors Adinath, the first Tirthankar and founder of the Jain religion. The town of Ranakpur and the temple are named after the provincial ruler monarch, Rana Kumbha who supported the construction of the temple.

Jain temple

A Jain temple is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism,Derasar is a word used for a Jain temple in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Basadi is a Jain shrine or temple. The word is generally used in South India, including Maharashtra. Its historical use in North is preserved in the names of the Vimala Vasahi and Luna Vasahi temples of Mount Abu. The Sanskrit word is vasati, it implies an institution including residences of scholars attached to the shrine.

Architecture

Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from the Jain temples in South India, which in turn are quite different from Jain temples in West India. There are two type of Jain temples:

All shikar-bandhi Jain temples have many marble pillars which are carved beautifully with Demi god posture. There is always a main deity also known as mulnayak in each derasar. The main part of Jain temple is called "Gambhara" (Garbha Graha) in which there is the stone carved God idol. One is not supposed to enter the Gambhara without taking a bath and without wearing puja (worship) clothes.

Jainism

Jainism (/ˈdʒeɪnɪzəm/ or /ˈdʒaɪnɪzəm/), traditionally known as Jain dharma, is an ancient Indian religion that prescribes the path of Nonviolence (ahiṃsā) towards all living beings.Jain philosophy distinguishes the soul (consciousnesses) from the body (matter). Jains believe that all living beings are really soul; intrinsically perfect and immortal. Souls in transmigration (saṃsāra) are said to be embodied in the body like a prison and therefore, experience birth and death. Practitioners believe non-injury (ahimsa) and self-control are the means to liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. The liberated souls are worshipped as God in Jainism. Jain texts reject the idea of a creator or destroyer God and postulates an eternal universe.

Overview

Jain cosmology divides the worldly cycle of time into two parts or half-cycles. According to Jains, in every half-cycle of time, twenty-four tirthankaras grace this part of the Universe to teach the unchanging doctrine of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. The word Tīrthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha, which means a fordable passage across a sea. The Tirthankara show the 'fordable path' across the sea of interminable births and deaths. Modern history records the existence of last tirthankara, Mahavira (6th century B.C.) and his predecessor Parshvanatha. Jain texts expound that Jainism has always existed and will always exist.

Ranakpur Express

The 14707/14708 Ranakpur Express is an express train belonging to Indian Railways that run between Bikaner and Mumbai in India. It operates as train number 14707 from Bikaner to Bandra Terminus and as train number 14708 in the reverse direction.

It is named after the village of Ranakpur which is located in the Pali district of Rajasthan.

Coaches

The 14707/14708 Ranakpur Express presently has 1 AC 2 tier, 3 AC 3 tier, 13 Sleeper Class & 6 General Unreserved coaches. As with most train services in India, Coach Composition may be amended at the discretion of Indian Railways depending on demand.

Service

The 14707 Ranakpur Express covers the distance of 1212 kilometres in 24 hours 10 mins (50.15 km/hr) & 1213 kilometres in 24 hours 30 mins as 14708 Ranakpur Express (49.51 km/hr).

As the average speed of the train is below 55 km/hr, its fare does not include a Superfast surcharge.

Traction

Prior to Western Railway switching to the AC traction, it would be hauled by a WCAM 1 engine until Valsad after which a Vadodara based WAP 4 would haul the train until Ahmedabad Junction following which it would get a WDP 4 from the Bhagat ki Kothi shed until Bikaner.

15th century

The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian years 1401 to 1500.

In European history, the 15th century is seen as the bridge between the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the Early modern period. Many technological, social and cultural developments of the 15th century can in retrospect be seen as heralding the "European miracle" of the following centuries. In religious history, the Roman Papacy was split in two parts in Europe for decades (the so-called Western Schism), until the Council of Constance. The division of the Catholic Church and the unrest associated with the Hussite movement would become factors in the rise of the Protestant Reformation in the following century.

Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, falls to emerging Ottoman Turks, marking the end of the tremendously influential Roman Empire and, for some historians, the end of the Middle Ages. The event forced Western Europeans to find a new trade route, adding further momentum to what was the beginning of the Age of Discovery, which would lead to the global mapping of the world. Explorations by the Spanish and Portuguese led to the first European sightings of the Americas (the New World) and the sea passage along Cape of Good Hope to India, in the last decade of the century. These expeditions ushered in the era of the Portuguese and Spanish colonial empires.