Page 403 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

r a jasthan  401

Corbelled Ceilings
The ceilings are carved in concentric tiers to
symbolize the Jain view of the universe as a series of
cosmic cycles. Marble carvers were paid in gold
according to the weight of the marble shavings they
presented at the end of each day’s work.

Dancers and deities, gracefully sculpted, are
the struts that support the ceiling.
This Ranakpur ceiling is a typical example of the
Rajasthani marble carvers’ art. It is so finely worked
that the marble is translucent in places.

Sculptured panels at Ranakpur show dancers
full of grace and movement.

Pillars in Dilwara
are densely
carved with floral
motifs and figures
in niches. No
two pillars are
identical in their
ornamentation.

Kalpavalli medallions, with
their exquisite patterns
of foliage, tendrils and
flowers, feature at both
Dilwara and Ranakpur.

The Parsvanatha
plaque shows
the 23rd
tirthankara
protected by
a multi-headed
cobra. It is set
into the southern
wall of the Adinath
Temple at Ranakpur.

400-IND-AT509-1251-RAJ7SS.indd 401 29/04/14 7:07 pm