20 DAYS IN INDIA - Ranakpur

Day 6 of our journey saw us take a taxi from Jodhpur to Udaipur via Ranakpur, a journey of some 155 miles. Ranakpur is a village in the Pali district of Rajasthan in western India, notable for it’s Jain temple, dedicated to Rishabh deva – the founder of Jainism.

As far as I understand it, Jainism began as a reforming tradition around 600-800 BC, rejecting the Vedic scriptures, the Hindu priesthood and the sacrifice of animals. The Jains have saints called tirthankaras - of which there are recognised 24 in any age. Jains seek to live lives of harmless nonviolence leading to liberation or salvation.