Ranakpur Tourism And Travel Guide

The small and enchanting town of Ranakpur is located at the southern end of Rajasthan. The region is located in the heart of the beautiful Aravali range and is greener than most other parts of the state. The town is tucked away in such a fashion that it gives an appearance of being untouched by time. With a breezy climatic condition and a scenic setting, tourism in Ranakpur makes for a wonderful gift. For a detailed travel guide to the enchanting town of Ranakpur, read on.

Ranakpur is well connected to the rest of the country by a set of well-established air, road and rail ways. The best way to travel to Ranakpur would be via Udaipur airport.

By Air:
Over 100 km away lies the Maharana Pratap Airport of Udaipur, the closest air facility to Ranakpur. The airport caters to domestic needs and has services to major Indian cities like Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. Taxis can be availed from the airport to get to Ranakpur.

By Rail:
The railway station at the nearby town of Falna, about 35 km away, is the closest station to Ranakpur. The station is fairly important as it is the main station for the district of Pali. There are trains connecting cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Dehradun on a fairly regular basis. As with the airport, taxis can be hired to travel from here to Ranakpur.

By Road:
An important National Highway connecting Udaipur and Jodhpur has made travelling to Ranakpur a fairly simple deal as it lies midway between the two cities. There are buses plying in and out of Ranakpur from both the cities and also sometimes from Ajmer and Indore as well. Cabs can be arranged to Ranakpur from almost all the major cities in Rajasthan and from Delhi as well.

The weather of Ranakpur is much gentler than most parts of the state. However it does resemble the prominent weather of the state. The best time to visit Ranakpur is, without doubt, during winter.

Summer: (April to June)
The summers are mostly hot and dry with maximum day time temperatures reaching almost 45°C. The evenings are more tolerable, hence if this is the season you choose, the evenings would be the best time for sight-seeing.

Monsoon: (July to September)
The monsoon plays an important role here as it replenishes the water supply and the surrounding greenery. It also helps bring down the temperature by a bit but only to increase the humidity. Hence these months are also not considered favourable.

Winter: (October to March)
The on season arrives with the winter months. With pleasant day time temperatures that average at 25°C, this is the best time for sight-seeing, bird watching and trekking. Additionally, it is also the time when the popular Ranakpur Festival is held.

Sight-Seeing:

Ranakpur’s pride is the 15th century Jain Temple that was, as the legend goes, a product of divine intervention. The gorgeous marble temple is a large structure that has over a thousand pillars, many turrets and domes, statues and wall engravings and a very striking architecture. The temple is also one of the top pilgrim destinations for the Jain community. Though the temple takes up most of the attention there are a couple of other things to see like the Sun Temple for example. This temple is much older than the Jain temple and has a distinct architecture and some of the notable features of the temple include the sanctum, the engraved walls and pillars. Besides the temples Ranakpur’s natural beauty is something that deserves exploration and there is no place like the Ranakpur dam for this. There are safaris organized by different agents that tour the town and the nearby forests.

Trekking:

One look at the place and any trekker would realise its worth. Nestled among the Aravali, Ranakpur has many great trekking routes for amateurs and pros. Some of the commonly taken paths include those to Kumbhalgarh, Aranyawas and Ghanerao. They pass through hilly terrains and plain land and plenty of greenery, almost ensuring wildlife spotting. A hike up nearby paths is also great for bird-watching. The region is known for birds like peacocks, red spurfowls and the painted francolins.

Festivals:

While a number of festivals are celebrated in Ranakpur as in the rest of India, the most sought after festival is The Ranakpur Festival. It consists of cultural shows like dance and music and lots of traditional food. The performances are usually held near the Jain Temple and since it encourages tourism they offer additional services like safaris around the town.

Ranakpur’s cuisine can be described as an infusion of Jain and Rajasthani tastes and there are more than a handful of eateries where you can get enjoy them. The restaurants are predominantly vegetarian and the classic dishes include the Rajasthani Thali, Dal Baati Churma, etc. The Jain temple serves food that is very popular with the tourists for its taste and quantity. Restaurants like Ranakpur Hill Resort, King’s Abode, Harmony and Vari are good places to get some food.

Although a very small town, Ranakpur bazaars are quite famous for Rajasthani handicraft and goods. The markets of Ranakpur offer a wide variety of items including handicrafts like carved wood, carved marble and pottery. Ranakpur also has interesting silver jewellery with designs and intricate patterns that are unique to the region. Tourists can also find souvenirs like miniature paintings and wall hangings everywhere. Ranakpur is also known for cottage industries that dye fabric. A visit to these places can guarantee some exciting souvenirs.