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TEMPLES OF DELWÄDÄ
32 Temples of Delwädä
Mount Abu is a beautiful town on a mountain top in the state of Rajasthan. Within the town, there are two magnificent Jain temples known as the Delwädä Temples. The carvings in both these temples are breathtaking. The carvings in the marble ceilings of these temples are so minute and intricate that it is difficult to copy the design even on a piece of paper. These temples are regarded as 'poetry in marble'.
Vimalshä built the first temple in the 11th Century AD at a cost of 180 million Rupees. The second temple, called Lunig Vasahi, was built by two brothers - Vastupäl and Tejpäl, in the memory of their elder brother, in the 13th Century AD, at a cost of 120 million Rupees. The stories associated with the architects of these two temples are presented here.
Vimalshä
The Solanki dynasty was the golden period for the state of Gujarat, India, when the authority and prosperity of the state reached its peak. The credit for putting Gujarat in this position mainly goes to the king's chancellors and commanders who were at the helm of affairs. It is interesting to know that many of the chancellors and some of the commanders of that period were Jains. Vimalshä was a very capable and outstanding commander in several respects.
King Mulräj, the founder of the Solanki dynasty, had an advisor named Vir Mahattam. His wife's name was Virmati. They had three sons named Nedh, Vimal, and Chahil. While they were still very young, their father renounced worldly life and became a monk. Their mother then went to her parents' place and raised her sons with love and care. Nedh was very intelligent and grew up to be a wise, considerate youth. Vimal was bold and smart. He liked horseback riding and archery. He steadily gained expertise in those arts and in due course turned out to be a well known equestrian and an accomplished archer.
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As the sons grew older, their mother brought them back to the capital city of Pätan so that they could pursue a career of their choice. In line with their interests, Nedh joined the royal court and Vimal joined the army. Both of them quickly began to rise in the ranks and became known for their outstanding capabilities. Since Vimal in particular was handsome and brave, he impressed a multimillionaire of Pätan who had a beautiful daughter named Shridevi. He thought Vimal would be a perfect husband for his daughter. Vimal agreed, and Shridevi and Vimal got married
Luck continued to favor both the brothers. During the reign of King Bhimdev who came to the throne in 1021 AD, Nedh became the chancellor and Vimal secured the position of commander. Vimal was thus fortunate to get a beautiful, loving wife and a high ranking military position at a relatively young age. Moreover, because of his amicable nature, he soon won the hearts of everyone and came to be known as Vimalshä.
king, before offering obeisance to the omniscient Jain Tirthankars. Thereupon, they started telling King Bhimdev that Vimalshä was arrogant due to his position and was not even willing to bow to the king. They said his ambition knew no bounds and he might even try to acquire the throne. Unfortunately, Bhimdev started to believe those courtiers and began to look at Vimalsha with suspicion.
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Some people at the court could not bear the good fortune of Vimalshä. They were jealous and began to look for his drawbacks. They noticed that Vimalshä would not bow to anyone, not even the
When Vimalshä learned of the disaffection of King Bhimdev, he decided to leave Pätan. Accordingly, he went to mount Abu (which was known as Chandraväti at that time) with his followers. There he learned that Dhandhuk, the chief of Chandravati, was aspiring to become independent from the sovereign King Bhimdev. Vimalshä attacked him with the force at his command. Dhandhuk could not fight him and fled. Vimalshä thus occupied Chandraväti. He had no ambition to become the king and took possession of Chandravati in the name of King Bhimdev and considered himself the governor of the place.
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Vimalshä was now happily passing his days at Chandraväti with his wife. Shridevi was a very affectionate lady and made him happy in every respect. They had no children. Being religious minded, however,
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TEMPLES OF DELWÄDÄ
the couple considered it as the consequence of their unwholesome Karma. Once they happened to meet Dharmaghosh-suri, who was the well known Jain Ächärya of that time. Vimalshä regularly listened to his sermons which made him even more religiously oriented.
As he remembered his involvement in past wars, he felt very sorry for the violence and sins he had committed. He sincerely repented for it. In view of his genuine repentance, the Acharya asked him to construct a temple at Chandraväti and make it a center of pilgrimage to help atone for the violence caused during the wars. Vimalshä was pleased to hear this suggestion and made up his mind to construct a grand temple.
He was also a devotee of Ambikä Devi, the goddess in service of Tirthankar Neminäth. He decided to invoke her in order to get her blessings. The goddess was pleased with the earnestness of his worship and asked him what he wanted. He asked for a son and the capability to construct a monumental temple at Chandraväti. However, the goddess asked him to select one of the two. Vimalshä opted for the temple. Goddess Ambikä granted his wish.
Then Vimalshä selected a site for the temple on top of a mountain and bought the land for 45,360,000 gold coins. The foundation stone was laid with deep faith. However, it was not easy to construct the temple. It was a Herculean task. Artisans were not locally available, there was no road leading from the foot of the mountain to the top, and marble had to be brought from a great distance. Vimalshä was determined to complete the project at any cost. He made all the necessary arrangements for transporting the materials to the top and hired the best sculptors in the country for carrying out the work.
All possible care was taken to see that the artisans did not face any difficulty, and the project did not encounter any problems. It took 14 years to finish the project and the temple was constructed at a cost of 185,300,000 gold coins. The opening ceremony was performed with great fanfare and enthusiasm under the guidance of Dharmaghosh-suri, Vardhamänsuri, and other Achäryas.
Intricate carving in the ceiling of Delwädä Temple
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It is a spacious, all marble temple. There are highly artistic figures in its domes, arcs, and panels. The sculptures are exquisite. It would be nearly impossible to bring out that sort of accuracy even in wax. The fact that the artists have done it in marble is marvelous and draws the instantaneous admiration of every visitor. These types of sculpture are not found anywhere else in the world. It is said that Vimalshä paid the artists in gold - the artisans collected the marble dust that they had carved for the day and brought it in and had it weighed. The person in charge would give them gold equal to the weight of stone powder! His generosity and the beauty of the temple have immortalized his name. It is virtually a wonder of the world. Later on, Vimalshä led a Jain Sangha to Shatrunjay Mountain located in the town of Palitana that cost 40 million gold coins. He constructed the Vimalvasahi temple there. It is located on the way to the main complex on the hill. It is a small but equally exquisite temple. It is popularly known as Bhulbhulämani temple, meaning a maze temple. He also constructed the well-known temples of Kumbhäriä on the Aräsur hill on the northern border of Gujarat. Moreover, he is credited with the construction of a beautiful temple in the capital city of Pätan.
One successful but highly instructive anecdote is associated with his later life. It is said that Shridevi had a dream in which she saw a goddess. The goddess asked her to go to the temple along with her husband at midnight on a specific date and ask for whatever they wanted. Both of them were eager to have a son and went to the temple to express their wish. While they were waiting for midnight to arrive, they felt thirsty. Vimalshä therefore went to an adjoining well to fetch water. Inside the well there were steps which went all the way down to the water level. While he was going down the steps to get the water, someone asked him to pay toll for taking water. Vimalshä was amazed to hear that and asked the person why he was demanding toll to drink the water. The person replied that he was a descendent of the person who had built the well. Since he was poor, he was collecting a toll for using the well.
talot
Vimalshä was taken aback to hear that. He asked himself, “What would happen if one day some of my own descendents tried to collect a toll for the temple that I have built?” He shuddered at the idea and again asked himself whether it would be better in that case to remain without a child. He went up and told his wife about the incident. She concurred with his thinking. At midnight when the goddess asked them what they
Shridevi and Viamalsha praying to Goddess Ambikä
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________________ TEMPLES OF DELWADA wanted, Shridevi replied that she did not want a child anymore. Now, it was the turn of the goddess to be taken aback. Vimalsha narrated what he had experienced and said that they wanted to remain childless. Vastupal and Tejpal Two brothers, Vastupal and Tejpal were ministers in the court of King Vir-Dhaval in Gujarat. Tejpal was also a very outstanding commander of the army. Both brothers made their name by their valor and faithfulness. They helped the king to conquer enemies and maintain law and order in the kingdom. Tejpal's wife Anupama-devi was a wise and smart woman, who always helped her husband in family matters. She was sweet spoken and a very religious and compassionate woman. Tejpal had always respected her opinion. Once, the families of both the brothers and many others went on a pilgrimage. They came to a small village. This particular area was not regarded as very safe for the pilgrims because the road was frequented by dacoits. Thinking that they might meet some dacoits on the way, the brothers decided to bury and hide their wealth in the nearby area. They started digging a hole but to their amazement, they unearthed a big pot of jewels and coins from the ground. They simply did not know what to do with this wealth. Tejpal asked Anupama-devi what they should do with this immense wealth. Anupama-devi had no hesitation in replying that this wealth had come from a deep trench but the right place for it was on a high mountain. This would spread the glory of Jainism. Thus, they decided to take it to the top of the mountain and spend it there. The brothers decided to build a temple on Mt. Abu. It is known as Lunig Vasahi Temple. Tirthankar Neminath Bhagawan's Samavasaran has also been carved in this temple. Tejpal had also dedicated two Gokhlas (niches) for two women, one to commemorate his wife and the other to commemorate his brother's wife (sister-in-law). These niches are called 'Derani-Jethani na Gokhlas' (The wives of two brothers are known as Derani - Jethani. Derani is the younger one and Jethani is the older brother's wife). They constructed many more temples of which only the Delwada temple and the Neminath Temple of Mount Girnar exist today. However, the Lunig Vasahi Temple of Mount Abu is similar to that of the Vimalsha Temple. Fifty-two Deva Kulikas (subsidiary shrines) have also been constructed on an elevated platform around the central temple, each with the statue of a Tirthankar. Elephants were used to carry the marble to Mount Abu for the construction of the temples. A place called Hasti Shala is also built within the temple complex to commemorate the contribution of elephants. The contribution made by Vimalsha, Vastupal and Tejpal to the architecture of Jain temples is very inspiring. Their dedication to their religion, and their perseverance and honesty are praiseworthy. Their contribution to Jain architecture is part of our great heritage. Jain STORY BOOK 127