Prabuddha Jivan 2017 06

SR No.: 526107
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sejal Shah
Publisher: Mumbai Jain Yuvak Sangh
Publication Year: 2017
Total Pages: 44
Language: Gujarati
Classification: Magazine, India_Prabuddha Jivan, & India
File Size: 2 MB

Page 41

JUNE 2017
PRABUDDH JEEVAN
41
built by the Ganga minister and commander away riches. Surrounded by embattled walls, the Jain Chavundaraya, is situated on a hilltop in temples are divided into wards in a manner similar to Shravanabelagola in the Hassan district of Karnataka fortified cities with parapets and niches to repel armed state.
aggression. Each ward in turn was guarded by massive Ayagapata
bastions at its ends, with a fortified gateway as the Ayagapata is a type of votive slab associated with main entrance. The reason being that Jain temples are worship in Jainism. Numerous such stone tablets the richest temples in the world, surpassing even discovered during excavations at ancient Jain sites Mughal buildings in terms of grandeur and material like Kankali Tila near Mathura in India. Some of them wealth. date back to 1st century C.E. These slabs are The temple-cities were not built on a specific plan; decorated with objects and designs central to Jain instead they were the results of sporadic construction. worship such as the stupa, dharmacakra and triratna. Natural levels of the hill on which the city' was being
A large number of ayagapata (tablet of homage), built accommodated various levels so that as one goes votive tablets for offerings and the worship higher so does the architecture and grandeur of tirthankara, were found at Mathura.
increases. Each temple, though, followed a set pattern, These stone tablets bear a resemblance to the styles, designed on principles of architecture in use earlier Shilapatas - stone tablets that were placed under during the period. The only variation was in the form of trees to worship Yakshas. However, this was done by frequent Chamukhs or four-faced temples. In these the indigenous folk communities before Jainism originated image of a Tirthankar (fordmaker) would face four sides, suggesting that both have commonalities in rituals. A or four Tirthankars would be placed back to back to scholar on Jain art wrote about an Ayagapata face four cardinal points. Entry into this temple would discovered around Kankali Tila, "The technical name of be from four doors. The Chamukh temple of Lord such a tablet was Ayagapata meaning homage panel." Adinath is a characteristic example of the four-door
The contribution of Jain art to the mainstream art in temple. Built in 1618 AD on the site of an older structure, India has been considerable. Every phase of Indian art it houses a 23 sq. feet cell chamber. One doorway is represented by a Jain version and each one of them leads out to the assembly hall in front while the other is worthy of meticulous study and understanding. The three have porches leading into the main courtyard. great Jain temples and sculptured monuments of Interior Layout of Jain Temples Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are world- Usually the exits lead into a series of columned renowned. The most spectacular of all Jain temples chambers into the central halls of the temple. These are found at Ranakpur and Mount Abu in Rajasthan. columns, standing around for no apparent purpose, Deogarh (Lalitpur, U.P.), Ellora, Badami and Aihole also might make the place seem like a mindless labyrinth, have some of the important specimens of Jain Art. but on closer scrutiny it becomes evident that there is
Jain architecture cannot be accredited with a style a style and method in it. of its own, for in the first place it was almost an offshoot S imply put, these are temples within a temple, of Hindu and Buddhist styles. In the initial years, many divided into sanctums and surrounded by a range of Jain temples were made adjoining the Buddhist temples chapels and shrines, and the maze of columns act as following the Buddhist rock-cut style. Initially these a defense against plunderers. The principle impression temples were mainly carved out of rock faces and the gathered from these temples is the variety of their use of bricks was almost negligible. However, in later sections but in harmony with each other. The pointed years Jains started building temple-cities on hills based spires above each dome is different, yet it signifies the on the concept of mountains of immortality.
position of a chapel, hall or any other chamber inside. Compared to the number of Hindu temples in India. The contribution of Jains towards art and Jain temples are few and spaced out. The latter used architecture was specially important in view of the to tear down their older, decaying temples and build magnificent artistic creations, particularly in the forms new ones at the same site. On the other hand Jain of images, temples and paintings, spread all over the temples had a certain militant aura around them, country and covering a time span in continuity from probably because of plunderers who may have carried the earliest through the modern times. The Jain art with