Advice needed on Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh planning (Route Jodhpur to Udaipur)

Hi Guys,

Need your expert advise here.

I will be traveling from Jodhpur to Udaipur via a hired car (toyota innova). I wish to visit both Kumbhalgarh fort and Ranakpur temple on the way.

However - just learnt that, it takes almost 2-3 hrs between Kumbhalgarh to Ranakpur. We can start early from Jodhpur at 7 AM - but not sure which place shall we go first (keeping in mind that Ranakpur Jain temple opens only at 12:00 noon).

I suspect both the place will take at least 1.5-2hrs.

Any suggestion on the itinerary will be extremely helpful.

Regards,
Sabya

There is some information here

Please remember it is going to be a longish day. Jodhpur - Kumbhalgarh - Ranakpur - Udaipur would be a good route. If you reach Ranakpur by 12:30 you can have lunch at the Dharamshala opposite the car parking area. It closes down by 01:30 or earlier depending on the availability of food. Last year the veg thali was Rs 30/- per plate.

Ranakpur temple opens at 6AM. However, camera is allowed inside only after 12 noon.

Can Non-Jains visit Ranakpur before 12 without camera?
I mean, Is the temple open for Non-Jains before 12 without camera or not at all?

Yes. It is open for non-jains even before 12 noon. Only camera is not allowed. I am a non-Jain and entered the temple at ~ 11:30AM in 1st week of Oct.

As far as I recollect only Jains are allowed inside the temples before 12:00. Here is a notice board from the temple.

I agree with aarosh. Only Jains are allowed to visit Ranakpur Jain temples in the morning time.

While in principle, all Jain shrines attempt to preserve the sanctity of the temple and to provide jains a dedicated time during the day when they can pray in peace (and I have seen similar signs in a few other Jain temples - all Digamber - in Rajasthan) - there's no way the temple authorities can tell if you are one.

There're are boards all over Choolgiri (near Jaipur) that state 'this isnt a tourist spot - photography prohibited, etc. Yet, if you wanted to, it's not like anyone is going to say anything at all. In some spots, e.g. Delwara, the temple management is more strict.

Now, if you're clearly non-indian or in some other way it's very obvious that you're on a trip, that would be a different situation - but if you enter unobtrusively, sans any leather objects, I really doubt if anyone would be able to distinguish you (Just don't take out your big lens camera and start shooting

I reconfirm that I entered the temple before 12 noon though I am not a jain. I don't think they mistook me to be jain as others were also entering the temple before 12.

Yes According to my experience also non jains are allowed to visit temple before 12.
No problem!
Only photography inside temple complex is allowed after 12.

While going through google maps i see a straight road going from Ranakpur temple to Kumbhalgarh fort. This route should not be more than 10-12kms then why every where people say that Ranakpur to fort is 2-3 hrs drive ?

https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...ra=ls&t=h&z=14

Actual Ground conditions are differnt from google map.It depend are you drving through a motorable road or trekking in forest.Ariel distance may be less but to drive from Ranakpur to Khumbhal garh definately took 2 hrs or more.They are at differnt altitude and seperated by dense forest.

I am very non-Jain and I entered the main temple before 12 noon but without my camera. I don't know if there is any different set of rules for foreigners. There was a very large group of foreigners there at that time but none of them was seen entering the temple !!!

I just drove from Kumbhalgarh to Ranakpur and didn't look at Google maps. It took me a couple of hours to cover the 50 km distance. The straight road is perhaps a trekking route. The trekking route is 16 km, as I was told by the forest department officials.

To answer the original question, the route from Jodhpur will be Ranakpur first (via Pali) and then Kumbhalgarh and then on to Udaipur. It is highly doable in a day but it will be an extremely whistle-stopish trip.
The road from Ranakpur to Kumbhalgarh to Iswal is very picturesque.
You might want to see my travelogue here that is still in the work in progress stage.
http://www.indiamike.com/india/rajas...cutta-t148889/