Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 216

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Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies
having sculptured niches or kūṭastambhas or left plain. At times it is lodged over by sukanäsa (antefix) leaning upon the superstructure of the vimāna. The śukanāsa, wherever present, contains an image of Jina in its facade niche. In the interior of some temples it is confronted by a pair of pillars and has a sculptured niche on its side walls. In the Chota Kailasa at Ellora the columns also support a fine toraṇa-arch.
The gudhamandapa is a closed pillared hall following the scheme of plan and elevation of the vimāna and having a flat roof with hāra parapet of the vimana's first tala. It is entered from one or all the three sides through a porch of two pillars and two pilasters with a flat roof. Its interior usually shows four pillars in the slightly raised central nave and twelve pilasters in the periphery forming thus one central bay and eight surrounding bays. Such an arrangement of columns and bays in the south Indian temples is called navaranga (nine bays). The bays carry flat or lantern ceilings bearing sculptural and floral enrichment or left plain. In the larger conception the godhamandapa has a greater number of pillars arranged in crisscross pattern.
The pillars of the gudhamandapa are both plain and ornate and show several varieties of square, octagonal, circular, fluted, faceted, stellate and latheturned pillars. The pillar, most commonly used, has a square moulded base; the shaft is square below and circular above, the latter carrying a series of faceted belts or rings, large or small bell, belt and lasuna; the capital consists of tadi, ghata, pali and phalaka; and the corbel has four-armed roll, wavy or bevelled bracket. These constituents of the shaft also appear in the fluted and faceted pillars. The pilasters are like the pillars. In some temples the interior wall of the gudhamandapa also contains sculptured niches.
The rangamandapa is a semi-open hall laid out on a square, rectangular or dvi-anga plan in front of the gudhamandapa or antarala (sometimes detached in the form of asthänamaṇḍapa). Where the rangamandapa is attached to the antarala, the rear portion of the
rangamandapa is treated like the gudhamandapa wall as found in the Jaina temple at Hangal. Its adhisthāna has usually been kept low, and above the kapota here is found kantha, instead of kumuda, often carved with diamonds in panels. Above this comes a parapet wall comprising rajasenaka, vedikā, āsanapaṭṭa and kakṣāsana, one or two members among these being absent in some temples. On the parapet wall stand dwarf pillars and in the inner part full pillars. These pillars also are of varied forms and correspond largely to those of the gūḍhamandapa. The bays formed by these pillars contain plain or carved flat ceilings, but the Jaina temple at Belguam possesses an ornate domical ceiling with a fine pendant. The rangamandapa is usually approached from the front by a stairway; the same in the Belgaum Jaina temple, however, is entered from the front as well as lateral sides through a porch containing an ornate ceiling. The open hall is shaded by a large double-curved or sloped out eave-cornice.
The pratoli is a gate-house with central passage and walled sides. Its flat roof in the interior is supported by the pillars put up on both sides of the passage.
The dvaramaṇḍapa is a hall-formed gate attached to the surrounding walls of the temple. It also has a flat roof supported on pillars.
The gopura, which is a characteristic of the south Indian temples, is a storeyed structure over the entrance through the enclosing walls to the temple. Rectangular on plan it is composed of several storeys diminishing as they ascend and is covered on top by a semi-circular roof with a series of stupis.
We now proceed to describe the temples of South India, but before that it is worthwhile to note that no Jaina Tirthankara was born in the peninsular India, nor had any of the 24 Tirthankaras ever visited it during his preaching tour, yet Jainism flourished well in this part of the country. Probably, the people of the region were greatly influenced by the Jaina principles of Anekanta and Ahimsa and therefore they extended their ample support for its spread and development in the