J.-E Berger Foundation: World Art Treasures

Art and Civilisation:

A shared Vision comprises the collection of works of art built up by Jacques-Edouard Berger and now on loan at Lausanne's Musée de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains, together with essays linked to his passion for collecting. At present, visitors will find The Animal World in Ancient Egypt.

The renowned Jain temple at Ranakpur dedicated to Adinatha.

Ranakpur is a village near Sadri town in Pali district of Rajasthan in western India. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur, in a valley on the western flank of the Aravalli Hills.

Light colored marble has been used for the construction of this grandiose temple which occupies an area of approximately 60 x 62 meters. The temple, with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and cupolas rises majestically from the slope of a hill. Over 1400 marble pillars, carved in exquisite detail, support the temple. The idol faces all four cardinal directions. In the axis of the main entrance, on the western side, is the largest idol. The construction of the temple and quadrupled image symbolize the conquest of Tirthankara of the four cardinal directions and hence the cosmos.

The dating of this temple has been a matter of controversy but it is largely considered to be anywhere between the late 14th to mid-15th centuries. Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dharna Shah is said to have commissioned the temple construction, under the auspices and patronage of Rana Kumbha, then ruler of Mewar. The architect who saw the project to fruition is said to have been named Depaka.

Ref: Wikipedia
Ref: India Slide Library

Direct access to lectures (in French):

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