Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 180

158
Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies
is tall, shows twenty one śṛngas in all, and is marked on the central tower by seven bhūmi-amalakas. The entire sikhara is covered with a fretwork of complicated caitya-gaväkṣas. The different offsets of the sikhara terminate at the skandha, but the central offsets extend to the grīva crowned by a large amalaka clasped by plain band, a candrikā, smaller amalaka, kalaśa and bījapüraka. Between the śrngas here also are placed forepart of elephants (gajamunda). The three niches at the base of the sikhara contain images of four-armed seated Jaina goddesses of which two are identifiable with Cakreśvari (E) and Ambika (W). The dvisākhā door of the sanctum consists of fine patra and thin ratna. The doorsill shows a square projection bearing stemmed lotus in an inverted crescent in the centre, a female with water pot and a kirttimukha on each side of it, and two females with one of their hands raised in adoration on either extremity. At the base of the inner doorjamb stand graceful figures of river goddesses, Ganga on proper right and Yamuna on proper left, both carrying water pot. This is a rare representation of river goddesses in the Jaina temples of Gujarat. The doorlintel continues the decorative bands of the jambs and has a Jina as crest figure. Inside the sanctum is installed an image of Santinatha sitting in meditative posture. The image does not appear to be contemporaneous with the temple.
Articulated at the frontal karna of the sanctum the gudhamandapa shows only bhadra and karna. It shares its pitha and wall with the sanctum and has a pyramidal roof studed with unfluted bells of very poor workmanship. On the top of the roof is a large bell with kalasa and bijapūraka. The two lateral porches consist each of two octagonal pillars and two fivefaceted pilasters and have a ceiling made by cutting off the corners. Their single-sakha door is decorated with foliate scrolls. The front or northern door of the güdhamandapa is of the triśakha variety consisting of patra, padma and broader patra. At the base of the jambs stands a female carrying water pot. The door-lintel
continues the decorations of the jambs and shows a Jina as crest image. The overdoor depicts eight auspicious Jaina symbols which are rarely found at this place in the Jaina temples of Gujarat. The interior of the güdhamandapa shows an octagonal arrangement of eight pilasters supporting a domical ceiling on an octagonal frame of plain architraves. The dome is composed of six circular courses, the first four being padma (cyma recta) and the last two consisting of an eight-foil and a quatrefoil kolas. The dome is closed up by a circular kola.
The mukhamandapa (Pl. 61) is rectangular on plan and consists of six bays formed by ten pillars and two pilasters arranged in three lines of four each. It is approached from the rangamandapa by a flight of five steps cut into the central bay. Its pitha on two lateral sides here also is polished; it consists of eight courses of two bhittas, karṇikā, paṭṭikā, jāḍyakumbha, broad karnika, antarapaṭṭa decorated with diamonds, projecting band and gräsapatti, while the whole of the same on the front side is treated like an ornamental balustrade which is similar to that seen in the Mahāvīra temple, but the two vedika-niches on proper right shelter Sarvanubhuti and Acchupta and the same on proper left Nirvāņi and Yakṣa Brahmasanti. All the four pillars in the front row are of square order and very rich in decoration. Similarly, the two five-faceted pilasters flanking the gudhamandapa door are highly ornamental. The remaining six pillars belong to octagonal variety and are less ornate. The architraves running across them bear two decorative bands of lotus scrolls and diamonds. Each bay contains an ornate ceiling. Two of these ceilings (south-east and south-west) are square on plan and consists each of four circular courses and a short circular pendant of eight-foil pointed kola with staminal tube clasped by three rows of petals. The first course shows a kirttimukha-band on the inner face and a Kinnara couple at each corner on the underside, while the other three are made up of karṇadardarikā, eightfoil larger and eight-foil smaller kolas respectively. Two