Rajasthan Part 6: Ranakpur

At some point in the first few days after leaving Agra, our driver began talking about traveling into the countryside.  KP spoke English well enough to carry on modest conversations driving between cities.  I know he understood we were teachers.  I don’t think he understood where we taught.  I know he didn’t truly comprehend what Alaska was like.  We tried to put things in perspective.  Describing temperatures in Celsius.  Explaining our lack of running water in the village, intermittent electricity, and absence from the road system.  Not being able to drive to our home really blew his mind.  

It was around this discussion he asked to take us to Ranakpur.  With little persuading we said that sounded great, add it to our agenda.  So I began flipping through my guide book, trying to see what I could find out about this next destination.  It was certainly off the beaten path- there was the second most sacred Jain temple there,  only a few accommodations were available, and it took up less than 1/2 a page in my rough guide.

Upon reaching the periphery of the “country side”, the road immediately began twisting and turning.  It felt as if we had driven back in time at least 50 years, maybe more.  Power poles disappeared.  Each home seemed to be sitting upon plantation style farmland.  The rows of crops were polka dotted with brightly colored sari’s.  Even the construction of homes changed to mud style walls with thatched roofs.  

With the change of atmosphere came a change of attitude.  Our driver suddenly made an unexpected stop at a roadside stand.  Gretchen and I both curiously watched him get out, stretch, and walk over to a vender.  I noticed several banners for King Fisher, and began to grin.  It was time for “road sodas”.  I knew KP was a man after my own heart; he would fit in well with my Alaskan ski bum backcountry friends.  While Gretchen waited in the Tata, KP and I consumed one King Fisher each at the stand.  I just stood there sipping as he carried on some lengthy conversation with the salesman.  Occasionally smiling, nodding, looking around- and drinking my beer.  Just as I emptied my 22oz King Fisher, KP pulled out his wallet and bought three more.  He could see my eyes widen, with a smirk on my face. “Your still thirsty?  For the road” he said, handing me two.  We borrowed my new friends bottle opener and headed for the vehicle.  The good news is one King Fisher is about the same as one Coors Light, or the equivalent of a slightly fermented cup of mostly water.  The bad news, KP had bought the strong edition.  About twice the alcohol by volume, with ten times the flavor, my personal favorite.  Lacking the punch I’m used to from my favorite IPA, it was still delicious at ten o’clock in the morning.  

The next 60 minutes included but was not limited to- a blaring stereo on repeat, roadside dancing, numerous accounts of littering, two pit stops, weaving through narrow canyons, and an explanation of international friendship.

The countryside around Ranakpur really was different from elsewhere we had been.  Like the photograph above, people were truly living a basic agrarian lifestyle.  Children were walking around cloth less, or with merely a diaper wrapped around their waist.  None of the homes seemed to have electricity or running water.  Everyone was outside performing chores essential for survival.   

Our first request was for a nature hike.  The cottage keeper insisted we take a guide.  So we walked across the street and into the wilds.  It was obvious the monsoons had not hit this part of Rajasthan yet.  Most of the lakes were ponds.  All of the creeks and streams were empty.  We crossed a concrete dam  35 feet above a dry bed below.  Our guide explained that once monsoons arrived, water wouldn’t be quite as scarce.  Its amazing to learn how thrivent and dependent this land is off these seasonal rains.  For thousands and thousands of years they have learned how to save and irrigate for survival.  It made me briefly reminisce upon people living along the mighty Euphrates in Iraq.  A land much more desolate than almost anywhere else on Earth, but sustainable with this life blood of water.  Whether by yearly storm or by snowmelt thousands of miles away- water is the necessity for life.  It comes in many shapes and sizes.  It comes in many forms both from the sky and by land- but is still essential for growth.  The one common thread across the planet is civilization must have water to survive.    

The weather was fairly arid.  It was hot, but we were obviously just on the edge of the desert.  

Flocks of sheep herded through the streets.  It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, domesticated animals did as they pleased.  And undomesticated animals still did as they pleased.

The highlight of the excursion was visiting the Jain temple.  Nestled deep in the Aravalli are several temples.  The landscape to me was similar to parts of West Virginia.  Deep, steep, densly vegitated terrain.  Lush hillsides spanning out in all directions.  The temple complex was kept very nicely.  These monkeys were playing in large banyan style trees.

The Jain faith makes up less than 1% of India and has been around for over 2500 years.  It borrows some beliefs and similar rituals to Hinduism, but is focused around absolute non-violence.  The practice of ahimsa pertaining to all living souls.  They are commonly seen wearing cloth masks as not to inhale any living creature intentionally, or unintentionally.  They refuse to travel by motorized vehicle, for fear it might harm a living creature.

The temples in Ranakpur were some of the most cared for we saw in India.  Exquisitely carved marble covered in adornments.  The inner chambers of the temple extremely clean.  Several Jain monks dressed in orange moved throughout the open space.  Visiting with people.  Sharing prayers or peace offerings.

Ornate pillars and spires constructed in a very symmetrical fashion.  All depicted various gods and goddesses.

As most temples, all shoes must be removed.  Specific to Jain temples, we were searched before entering as not to bring any animal made products inside.  All leather belts must be removed.  Men and women have to wear garments fully covering legs and upper body.  We actually saw a couple get turned away because the man was wearing shorts and the woman a tank-top.

The above picture is the main large temple.  Around the main temple were several smaller temples, each with similar carvings and style.

Despite being hard to get to, I highly recommend visiting Ranakpur.  It was a nice break from hustling cities.  I believe there is a bus from Udaipur that will drop you at the main temple bus stop.  After two days and one night in Ranakpur we were ready to move on.  I could see spending several days to relax, but after that India continued to call me.  Our hotel fit in with the rustic motif of the area.  We spent the night counting lizards crawling on the walls and seating in our air cooled room.