The Road to Ranakpur

We left Udaipur around 10 am today to begin our drive to Jodhpur. The road we are taking will lead us to Ranakpur Temple, a Jain temple. The ride to Ranakpur Temple is breathtaking through the mountains. Along the way, we stop to really see India. Ranakpur Temple itself is also situated in a very beautiful, green, and mountainous region. The stop at Ranakpur is one of our favorite stops in Rajasthan.

We stop in this little farming community to watch these men pump water from a well using their ox.

The children quickly spot me. The pose for me as the rest of the group is at the well.

After about 1 hour more in the car, we reach Ranakpur Temple as you will see below.

Elephant carved in marble located near the rear of the temple.

Note the intricacy of the carving on the ceiling of the main chamber.

A father and son pose for a photo outside the temple. The mother looks in the opposite direction.

A Jain priest gives Paul and I tikka before we exit to wish us "good luck" in the coming year.

We leave Ranakpur and spot these women carrying their bundles of kindling on the way to Jodhpur. They work so hard carrying these heavy loads of wood.

The Ellora Caves at Aurangabad

No, this is not a photo-still from an Indiana Jones movie. But one of the many caves at the Ellora Caves in Aurangabad. There is a series of over a hundred caves carved out of the native rock to by the Jain, Hindu and Buddhist devotees.

Here is a photo of the exterior of one of the Brahmin caves--


Of course, I wanted to have a photo with this voluptuous lady . . .

And Paul with this big-bellied man! What is important to note is that all of these reliefs are carved out of the rock inside of the temple that was carved out of the mountain.

Buddha--
Molly and I pose with this vacationing Indian family.

A relief in a Buddhist temple that mixes Hindu and Buddhist beliefs in the picture.
The famous Buddhist "cathedral" cave. Note how the boning of the arches resemble the nave of a cathedral . . .
Here we are outside the cluster of Buddhist caves . . .
Elephants in relief . . .

Our day ends at the caves. This little chap is begging for bananas, but is too shy to pose for my photo.