Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 182

160
Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies
images have mostly been taken away.
The three entrance porches, the eastern one of which has gone, consist each of two octagonal plain pillars and two pilasters and carry a flat or domical plain ceiling. The single-śākhā door is adorned with foliate scrolls. At the base of the jamb stands a female carrying water pot, but the same in the northern porch has images of Gangā and Yamunā as we notice in the sanctum door of this temple.
There is a four-faced chapel in the south-east corner of the court which shelters Mt. Astăpada dated in A.D. 1209.
The temple of Sāntinātha has a close kinship to the Mahāvīra temple both in form and decoration, but it also shows some change and advancement and hence posterior in date to the latter. Since the Mahavira temple was built in about A.D. 1061, this temple may have been built about two decades later in about A.D. 1081. Colour to this is also lent by some inscriptions of this date found in the temple.
Pārsvanātha Temple - It closely lies to the east of the Mahavira temple. It is larger than the temples of Mahāvīra and Santinātha and is laid out on a taller jagati. On plan (Fig. 85) it closely corresponds to the Mahāvīra temple, but in place of entrance hall it has a nālamandapa built over the entrance porch (PL. 64) and a stairway leading up from the latter to the rangamandapa. Besides, it has nine devakulikās on either side, six niches on the front have been worked out as devakulikās, and the lateral entrance is to be found only on the west.
The pitha of the tri-anga sanctum consists of four plain courses. The vedībandha of the wall has the usual five courses. The wall divided into two belts by a plain band is plain except for the projecting sculptured niches (now empty) on the central offsets. The varandikä over the wall is made up of a kapota and a ribbed awning. The featureless śikhara with 93 turrets and crowning members is a later erection. The door of the sanctum consists of two jambs, one bearing scroll pattern and
the other, diamonds and beads. On the door-lintel is a Jina as lalatabimba. Inside the sanctum is installed an image of Parsvanātha sitting in meditative posture on a moulded pedestal. The image is a late one belonging to the 16th century A.D.
The gūdhamandapa, which is wider than the sanctum, shares its pītha and wall with the sanctum and is covered by a roof now plastered up. It has entrances on the north and west only. The western entrance is led through a small porch with single-sākhä door adorned with foliate scrolls. The northern door is, however, very ornate and consists of five jambs showing scrolls, female attendants, four-armed Jaina goddesses, female attendants and diamonds-and-beads respectively. The lower part of door carries Vidyadevis with female attendants. The door-lintel depicts on its lalāta an image of Padmāvati, the Yakși of Pārsvanātha, flanked on each side by Mälädharas, above this are shown Vidyādevis in panels and apsarases and Gandharvas in counter sunk panels; and then occur fourteen objects of dream seen by the Jina mother during her conception. The doorsill shows delicately carved semi-circular mandāraka flanked by a pair of kirttimukhas. There is a fine moonstone in front of the doorsill. The interior of the gūdhamandapa shows the usual arrangement of eight pilasters carrying a dome of seven circular courses of karnadardarikā, ratna, three successive gajatālus, eight-foil kola and quatrefoil kola. A circular kola closed up the dome. Its seven intact Vidyadhara brackets once probably supported Nāyikā figures. There are two big images of Ajitanätha and Sāntinätha dated in A.D. 1119.
The mukhamandapa is similar to that seen in the Mahāvīra temple, displaying ornamental pitha, same set of pillars and pilasters, and two fine sculptured niches, but, surprisingly enough, the ceilings are flat and uncarved, probably the original ceilings, having been damaged, were replaced during renovations.
The disposition of rangamandapa is also similar to that of the Mahāvīra temple, but it is spacious and well proportioned, and its pillars are stout and tall and