Palitana, Gujarat, India


At Palitana, some 860 Jain temples grace the top of a lonely, rocky hill in the middle of nowhere; mostly small but beautifully carved, some date back almost a thousand years. To see them, you must climb over 3,000 steps from the base to the top of the mountain (there's this idea in India that temples have greater powers if you have to expend a great deal of effort to reach them). Pilgrims start the climb around 4 AM, reaching the summit before sunrise, so we were the only fools going up in the blazing sun of the afternoon. The benefit was that there was hardly a soul up there and we had the still, beautifully haunting space to ourselves.      [ - Usha Alexander, Apr 06]

A modern temple (more)

The ascent to Shatrunjaya

Doli (more)

Palitana from above (more)


Shatrunjaya hill (1, 2)


Jain temple portico


Sculpture at the entrance


Sea of domes and spires


Jain temples (more)


Jain temples


Jain temples


Jain temples (more)


Gateway to more temples


Average temple detail


Marble tops


Densely packed temples


Temple details


A temple entrance


Skinny Ganesh having fun


Temple details


Main temple


Main temple


Main temple


Main temple


Musician


Portico


Main temple (more)


Shiva


Carved in stone


Carved in stone


Carved in stone


Carved in stone


Another temple


Female archer


Dancer


Decking up / writing a letter


Sculpture


Musicians


Mother and child


The neighboring hill (more)

       

 



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