Book Title: Aspects of Jaina Religion
Author(s): Vilas Sangve
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Previous | Next

Page 141
________________ Contribution of Jainism to Indian Culture :: 129 Marathwada, Maharashtra, (vii) Sravana-belagoļa in Hassan District, Karnataka and (viii) Mūdabidri in South Kanara District, Karnataka. (C) Cave-temples Again, the Jainas also like the Buddhists, built several cave-temples cut in rocks from the early times. But in dimensions, the Jaina cave temples were smaller than the Buddhist ones because the Jaina religion gave prominence to individualistic and not to congregational ritual. The most numerous cave-temples are in Udayagiri and Khandagiri Hills in Orissa. The picturesqueness of their forms, the character of their sculptures, and the architectural details combined with their great antiquity render them one of the most important groups of caves in India. These and those of Junagadh in Gujarat belong to the second century B.C. while the others are of a later date of which the important ones are found at (i) Aihole and Bādāmi in Bijapur District (Karnataka), (ii) Ankāi and Pātana in Khandesh District (Maharashtra), (iii) Ellorā and Osmanabad in Marathwada (Maharashtra), (iv) Chamar Leņa near Nasik City (Maharashtra), and (v) Kalugumalai in Tinnevelly District (Tamil Nadu). (D) Stūpas Like the Buddhists, Jainas also erected stūpas in honour of their saints, with their accessories of stone railings, decorated gateways, stone umbrellas, elaborate carved pillars and abundant statues. Early examples of these have been discovered in the Kankālī mound near Mathurā in Uttar Pradesh, and they are supposed to belong to the first century B.C. (E) Māna-stambhas or Pillars Another remarkable contribution of the Jainas in the field of architecture is the creation of many stambhas or pillars of pleasing design and singular grace which are found attached to many of their temples. In connection with these mānastambhas, as they are popularly called, the famous authority on Jaina architecture, Dr. James Fergusson, states that it may be owing to the iconoclastic propensities of the

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190