After a drive of around 2hr30min, we will arrive in Ranakpur at hotel Mana, which is our mid-way between Udaipur and very close to the Ranakpur Jain Temples, believed to be the finest example of marble sculptures.
The white Ranakpur Jain Temple was built in the 15th century. The basement is of 48,000 sq. feet area that covers the whole complex. There are four subsidiary shrines, twenty-four pillared halls and domes supported by over four hundred columns. The total number of columns is 1,444 all of which are intricately carved with no two being alike. The artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an interesting sight. In the assembly hall, there are two big bells weighing 108 kg whose sound echoes in the entire complex.
Drive onto Udaipur. Possibly no city in Rajasthan is quite as romantic as Udaipur, even though the state is replete with fantastic hilltop fortresses, exotic fairy-tale palaces and gripping legends of medieval chivalry and heroism. The French Impressionist painters, let alone the Brothers Grimm, would have loved this place and it’s not without justification that Udaipur has been called “the Venice of the East”. Jaisalmer is certainly the “Beau Geste” of the desert and Udaipur is the “Versailles”. Arrive & Check inn at Lake Palace Hotel. If time permits, enjoy a sunset boat cruise on Lake Pichola.
Accommodations: Taj Fateh Prakash Palace