Sadri

There is a direct daily bus that leaves Sirohi bus station in the morning and arrives at Ranakpur in the afternoon. From there it goes on to Udaipur. The last halt before reaching Ranakpur is Sadri. Readers of this guide are advised to alight at this pleasant township, ask their way to the nearby Shvetambara Jaina dharmashala and book a room there for a few days. Scattered throughout the picturesque vicinity of Sadri there are a number of holy sites worthy of being visited.

The best known is the famous temple of Ranakpur, only nine kilometres to the south. Others are – to name just a few – Narlai (eleven temples); Nadol, an ancient place ‘where once resounded every evening 999 bells indicating 999 temples’ (today there are ten); the Varkana Parshvanatha temple built in 1154, and Muchala Mahavirji, a solitary temple set amidst hills twelve kilometres east of Sadri.

Sadri itself has fourteen Jaina temples. the earliest of which were built in the tenth/eleventh century. The latest, a so-called “glass” temple, was constructed only recently.

 Sadri, Parshvanatha Temple. Detail of south-eastern façade. Sculptural art of the best.
Circa end of tenth century.

Sadri, Parshvanatha Temple. Another section of the outer wall. Located in a residential street in the centre of the town, this small shrine is easily overlooked.

Close-up of a niche with a strikingly beautiful figure of a dancer.