Temples, palaces, stepwells and water structures of Rajasthan

At a glance

1. 1Chand Baori: 13 storeys; 3,500 steps is the usual count, though one Rajasthan Tourism page gives about 1,000.
2. 2Raj Prashasti: a Sanskrit history of Mewar by Ranchhod Bhatt, on 25 slabs at Rajsamand's Nauchowki; often called the longest stone inscription in India.
3. 3Chandra Mahal: the seven-storey palace inside the City Palace, Jaipur, not a separate palace.
4. 4Deeg: once in Bharatpur district, now a district of its own.

Main temples

• Dilwara (Delwara) templesSolanki-style Jain templesPlaceMount Abu, SirohiBuilt by and whenVimal Vasahi by Vimal Shah, 1031 (1026 in some accounts); Luna Vasahi by Vastupal and Tejpal, 1230Known forFive Jain temples of white marbleFull notes →
• Ranakpur Jain templeMuseum of pillarsPlaceRanakpur, near Sadri, PaliBuilt by and whenDharni Shah, a Jain merchant, in Rana Kumbha's reign (1433–1468)Known forChaumukha temple of Adinath on 1,444 pillarsFull notes →
• Osian templesPratihara temple townPlaceOsian, near JodhpurBuilt by and whenFrom the Gurjara-Pratihara period (8th century) to the 12th centuryKnown forSachiya Mata, Surya, Harihar and Mahavir temples
• Kiradu templesAncient Kirat KoopPlaceNear BarmerBuilt by and when11th–12th century; the Someshwar temple about 1016Known forGroup of five Shiva and Vishnu temples; Someshwar is the finest
• Baroli (Badoli) templesShiva temples by the ChambalPlaceBaroli, Rawatbhata, ChittorgarhBuilt by and whenBy tradition the Hunas (RBSE: Mihirakula, son of Toramana); 9th century by Rajasthan Tourism, 10th century by their style in other accountsKnown forGroup of nine temples; Ghateshwar Mahadev is the main one
• Harshat Mata templeGoddess of joyPlaceAbhaneri, DausaBuilt by and whenGurjara-Pratihara period; 8th century (Rajasthan Tourism: 9th–10th)Known forOriginally a Vishnu temple; according to the RBSE book, damaged by Mahmud of Ghazni's army in the 11th century; beside Chand Baori
• Eklingji templeMewar's kuldevtaPlaceKailashpuri, on the Udaipur–Nathdwara roadBuilt by and whenBy tradition Bappa Rawal, 8th century; present form under Maharana RaimalKnown forFour-faced black-stone image of Shiva; the Maharanas ruled as his Diwan
• Jagdish templeUdaipur's Vishnu templePlaceUdaipur, near the City PalaceBuilt by and whenMaharana Jagat Singh I, 1651Known forVishnu as Jagannath; three storeys, with a brass Garuda before the shrine
• Brahma templeRare Brahma shrinePlacePushkar, AjmerKnown forOne of the very few Brahma temples in India; four-faced image
• Neelkantheshwar templeParanagar's Shiva templePlaceRajorgarh (Paranagar), south-west of SariskaBuilt by and whenMathanadeva, a Pratihara feudatory; about the 10th century (another account: 6th–9th)Known forShiva temple with three shrines on one hall
• Mandakini templesBijolia's Shiva groupPlaceBijolia, BhilwaraKnown forHazareshwar, Undeshwar and Mahakal Shiva temples
• Bhand Devra templeRamgarh's Shiva templePlaceRamgarh, BaranBuilt by and whenMalay Varma of the Med dynasty, 10th centuryKnown forShiva temple with Khajuraho-like carving
• Sas-Bahu (Sahastrabahu) templesNagda's paired templesPlaceNagda, near UdaipurBuilt by and whenGuhil ruler Shridhar, 1026 (Rajasthan Tourism: 9th–10th century)Known forTwo Vishnu temples side by side
• Jagat Shiromani templeAmer's Vishnu templePlaceAmer, JaipurBuilt by and whenKankawati, queen of Man Singh I, in memory of their son Jagat SinghKnown forKrishna image believed to be the one Mirabai worshipped
• Lodurva Jain templeJaisalmer's Jain shrinePlaceLodurva, near JaisalmerKnown forParshvanath temple at the old capital of the Bhatis

Styles of temple architecture

• Mahamaru (Gurjara-Pratihara): the regional style from about the 8th century; early examples at Osian, Chittorgarh and Abhaneri; its last and finest temple is Kiradu's Someshwar.
• Maru-Gurjara (Solanki): the golden age of the 11th to 13th centuries; ornate, tall, slender, rounded pillars and high plinths; for example Sachiya Mata (Osian) and Samidheshwar (Chittorgarh fort).
• Bhumija: its oldest temple in Rajasthan is the Jain temple of Sewari, Pali (about 1010–20); others are Mahanaleshwar at Menal, Bhand Devra and Bijolia's Undeshwar.
• Panchayatan: a main shrine with four smaller shrines around it, as at Jagdish (Udaipur), Baroli and Bhand Devra.
• Haveli style: from the 16th–17th centuries many temples were built like havelis.

Palaces and gardens

Stepwells

Lakes built by rulers

Havelis, chhatris and water harvesting

• HavelisMerchants' and ministers' mansionsMain examplesPatwon ki, Nathmal ki and Salim Singh ki havelisPlaceJaisalmerFull notes →
• ChhatrisRoyal cenotaphsMain examplesGaitore, Bada Bagh, Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri, Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri, Gopal Singh's chhatriPlaceJaipur, Jaisalmer, Bundi, Alwar, KarauliFull notes →
• Traditional water harvestingRain-fed storageMain examplesKhadin, nadi, tanka, kund and johadPlaceWestern Rajasthan; johads in AlwarFull notes →

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