Jaina Temples of Western India

SR No.: 006730
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Harihar Singh
Publisher: P V Research Institute Varanasi
Publication Year: 1982
Total Pages: 362
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 27 MB

Page 168

Description of Temples
151
with an image of four-armed lalitäsana goddess coated with white lime. Each bay of the devakulikās accompanied on each side by a female cauri-bearer. has an uncarved ceiling supported on a square The dome is composed of nine circular courses. frame of plain architraves. The ceiling is made The first is karnadardarika surmounted by a kirtti- by cutting off the corners, comprising three tiers of mukha-band. The second depicts figures of dancers, nine slabs. Each devakulika enshrines an image of horse-riders and elephants with drivers. The third, Jina seated in dhyānamudra. These Jina images fourth and fifth are gajatalus, each topped by three are built of white marble. The devakulikās are decorative bands of diamonds and beads, leaves, overshadowed towards the court by an overhanging and lotus petals. The sixth, seventh, eighth and corrugated eave-cornice. The exterior walls of the ninth consist of sixteen-foil, twelve-foil, eight-foil devakulikās have also been plastered up. and quatrefoil kolas respectively. The kolas carry figures of Vidyadharas on the points and of kirtti- VASTUPALAVIHARA mukhas on the triangular spaces, while their edges It consists of three shrines, each leading out of are adorned with lotus petals. The kola in the sixth one of the sides of a square central hall, while the course, however, depicts lotus petals on the trian- fourth side provides entrance to the temple from gular spaces and diamonds and beads on the edges. the west (Text Fig. 5; Fig. 53). Compared to the The keystone is treated like a circular kola. From
Neminātha temple described above, this temple the second course project out sixteen brackets
has more suffered in the hands of renovators, who carried by four-armed Vidyadharas playing on out of zeal to restore and beautify it have so some musical instruments or carrying lotuses and inadvertently repaired it that all its architectural knife. Each of these brackets supports a strut of and sculptural peculiarities have vanished. Exterof charming Apsarā figure, the stele of which is nally, the domes have been coated with broken tenoned into the lower most kola course. The China wares, while their other parts are whitewashed surrounding aisle is also covered by two gajatālu or coated with white lime. The interior of the courses.
temple, particularly the ceilings, is painted in Rectangular Hall
hideous colours, whereas the pillars have been
encased with marble slabs or coated with white It measures about 38 ft. by 21 ft. It houses two
lime. raised platforms covered with slabs of a closegrained yellowish stone bearing representations of East Shrine feet in pair, probably of the Ganadharas. The hall,
Measuring 53 ft. by 29.6 ft, this shrine consists now completely whitewashed, seems to be a later
of two chambers, viz. a sanctum and a pillared creation, probably removing the mukhamandapa.82
hall. The sanctum is Iryaniga on plan, consisting Devakulikā
of bhadra, pratiratha and karna, each broken into Standing on a wide platform the devakulikās are five planes upto the pitha and into three planes approached from the court by a flight of three above that. The karya and pratiratha are equilasteps cut across the platform. They are screened
teral and have the same proportions, while the by a double arcade of pillars in the east wing and
bhadra, which is only slightly projected, is almost in the west end of the north wing, and by one
double the size of these. Between the argas are arcade of pillars on the remaining sides (Fig. 58).
salilāntaras. The salilāntaras between the karnas The floor of the open corridor is paved with tesse- and pratirathas are reinforced with komikās. lated marble. The pillars of the devakulikās have a In elevation the sanctum displays pitha, vedibasquare base consisting of a khura, a kumbha decorated ndha, jangha, varandika and fikhara. The pitha conwith half diamonds, and a kalasa. Their shaft is sists of two bhittas, a jādyakumbha, a karņika, a chasquare at the base, octagonal in the middle and dyaki underlined with leaves, a grāsapatti, and a circular on the top; and the capital has a short deep fillet carved with diamonds. The vedibandha bharaṇi of padma, surmounted by four-armed roll comprises khura, kumbha carrying sculptured niches brackets. The pilasters and the doors are now on the body and foliage on the shoulder, kalat a