Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain, Others
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 114

Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies
pillars, but their square shaft has recessed corners, bears a vertical band of creepers emerging from grāsamukha on each facet, and Indra and Upendra as door-guardians on the lower section of the front facet.
Stylistically, this temple is assignable to the early 10th century A.D.
MADHYA PRADESH Madhya Pradesh as its name itself suggests is the heart land of India, and till November 2000 it was surrounded on all sides by the bordering States of the Indian territory. Owing to its precarious situation thus it had to always bear the brunt of various alien powers, but the cultural activity went on without any hindrance in every field of art and letters. This is also true of Jaina art as we learn from the Jaina works like the Vasudevahindi (5th century A.D.), Avaśyakacürni and Niśithacūrni (7th century A.D.) that a sandalwood image of Jivantasvämî (probably a portrait-image of Mahāvīra before renunciation as it stands in meditation wearing a crown and other ornaments) was carried away by king Pradyota of Avanti (Ujjain) from Vītabhayapattana in Sindhu-Sauvīra region after depositing its exact wooden copy there and installed it at Vidisha for worship. The wooden image too, according to Hemacandra, was brought to Anahillapātaka and installed in a new shrine by king Kumārapāla in the 12th century A.D. But the archaeological testimony available at the moment only takes us to the time of the Imperial Guptas. This is evident from three Jina images of the time of Rāmagupta (c. A.D. 370) and a Jaina cave of the time of Kumāragupta (A.D. 425 ), the former found at Durjanpur and the latter excavated in the Udayagiri hill, both located in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. Although a Jaina temple of the Gupta period is still a desideratum in Madhya Pradesh, we have a group of Jaina shrines at Kundalpur which continue the architectural tradition of the early Gupta temples, but they are not datable prior to the 8th century A.D. During the 9th-10h century A.D. when the region was governed by the Pratīhäras of Kannauj, Jainism, according to the
Jaina Prabandhas, enjoyed the royal patronage of king Ama who is identified with Pratihāra Nāgabhata II (died in A.D. 883). The presence of Jainism during this period is also proved by two Jaina temples standing at Pithaora and Gyaraspur. From A.D. 1000 to 1300 Madhya Pradesh was ruled by four powerful dynasties of the Candellas in the north, Kacchapaghātas in the middle, Kalacuris in the east, and the Paramāras in the south and west. Although the rulers of these dynasties were votaries of Brahmanism, they had liberal attitude towards Jainism since an influential section of the population of their respective kingdoms consisting of merchants, bankers and officials was Jaina. This is also evident from the existence of some beautiful temples at Khajuraho and Un. KUNDALPUR
Kundalpur, Damoh district (M.P.), has been so named because there is a low hill of the form of a kundala (earring). On the hill is a group of about 50 Jaina temples, while in the valley is a shrine of Mahāvīra called Bare Bābā since it has a large image of Mahävīra. Most of these Jaina temples are modern erections, but some are built in the style of the early Gupta temples consisting thus on plan of a square sanctum and an entrance porch, both having a low moulded plinth, flat and plain wall, and flat roof. The roof of the porch rests on two heavy square pillars that have ghatapallava base, plain shaft and curved bracket-capital. Their doorframes are also plain. Stylistically, these temples are datable to a period not earlier than the 8th century A.D. PITHAORA
At Pithaora, Satna district (M.P.), is a small Jaina shrine known as Patian Dai, built of plain ashlars. The temple is in ruinous condition, its sanctum alone having survived. It stands on a very low plinth; its uncarved flat walls are having two fillet-type mouldings, one in the middle and the other at the top; and its roof is flat with short cornice. The doorframe of the sanctum, which bears carvings, is of the trisakha variety. The
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