Person · Jain minister & temple patron
Dharanā Shāh
Also known as Dharana Shah, Dhanna Shah, Dharanaka
A Porwāl Jain minister of Rana Kumbha of Mewar who built the Chaumukha temple at Ranakpur from about 1437, reportedly over fifty years. The rana gave the land and the town's name; the minister and his community paid for the building.
- Date
- 15th century
- Function
- Authority & administration
- Tradition
- Ranakpur inscription of 1439
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
Worth knowing
Tradition says he dreamt of a celestial vehicle and told the architect Depā to build it, rejecting drafts until one matched. The result has 1,444 pillars, none repeating and none obstructing the sight-line to the image from any point in the hall.
Connections (2)
- PatronageRanakpur
Dharanā Shāh, minister to Rana Kumbha, built Ranakpur from about 1437 with the rana's land grant and his own community's money, and the inscription of 1439 records it. The Jain pattern again: the king gives permission and a name, and merchants and ministers pay for the stone. Tradition says he dreamt of a celestial vehicle and rejected the architect Depā's drafts until one matched it, which is how a building with 1,444 unrepeating pillars is explained.
- Companion in the same setVastupāla
Vastupāla at Dilwāra in 1230 and Dharanā Shāh at Ranakpur in 1437 are the two great Jain ministerial patrons of western India, two centuries apart and both serving Hindu rulers. Between them they produced the two most elaborate interiors in Indian architecture. Both also served Hindu ruling houses as administrators while spending their private fortunes on temples of their own religion, an arrangement neither dynasty appears to have objected to.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Ranakpur Jain temple”. The subject’s own writings where they survive, and the standard biographical literature.
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