Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 235

Jaina Temple Architecture : South India
213
ŚRAVAŅABELAGOLA
It is situated in the Hassan district of Karnataka. Its antiquity as a Jaina site goes to the 3rd century B.C. when a severe drought broke out in northern India and the Jainasangha under the leadership of Bhadrabāhu migrated to the south and settled at Sravanabelagola. The Mauryan emperor Candragupta, who according to the Jaina tradition had become a Jaina monk, also accompanied him and breathed his last at the Candragiri hill of Sravanabelagola, which is named after him. There is a group of four Jaina temples, viz. Candragupta- basadi, Cāmundarāya-basadi, Parsvanatha-basadi and Akkana-basadi. The first two of these are made of hard stone and belong to the Ganga (Wn) period and the last two, built of soft stone, to the Cālukya-Hoysala period.
Candragupta-basadi - It is a small temple facing south towards the famous Bāhubali image on the Vindhyagiri hill of Śravanabelagola. It consists of three juxtaposed oblong shrines, a common rectangular antarala and a large pillared hall (Figs.105 and 108). The larger central shrine has no Sikhara, while the adjacent side ones are roofed by low towers. On the east side of the pillared hall a new wall and a plain pillared corridor were added in the Vijayanagara period; on its west side a large temple was added by Gangarāja, minister of the Hoysala king Vişnuvardhana, in c. A.D. 1118; and the south side was blocked by the north wall of the temple of Pārsvanātha built in the 11th century A.D.
The three shrines are laid out in a straight line and have no projections on their wall. Their adhisthāna consists of an upana, jagati, three-faceted kumuda, kantha with kampas below and above, and a pattikā with prati, all unadorned. The flat and plain wall is punctuated at intervals with a series of square pilasters which are plain below and carry double-pot with intervening plain belt, tädi, bulbous ghata, pāli, square phalaka and bevelled corbel above. The prastara carries beam, hamsamalā, kapota with small nasis, and
pratikantha decorated with vyala figures, now sadly damaged. Above the prastara is a moulding covered with thick coat of plaster; it is followed in its turn by a kapota with haṁsamālā underneath. The square superstructure of the lateral shrines consists of a short grīvā and a śikhara decorated with large emptied näsis. The śikhara in each shrine is capped by a padmacchatra, but the stupi is lost. The antaräla follows the lineaments of the shrine and has a flat roof.
In the interior the sanctum of the central shrine enshrines a standing image of Pärśvanátha, and the side ones those of Padmăvati and Kuşumāndi. The antarāla contains images of Yaksa Sarvänubhuti and Dharanendra.
The pillared hall, in spite of some alterations, is a part of the original temple. Its twenty-five pillars out of possibly thirty-six stand to this day in five lines of five each. The four central pillars are very handsome and belong to the square order. They have a moulded base. Their shaft is divided into four almost equal sections, the lowermost being plain and the upper three alongwith the whole of capital are chamfered into three angles and bear various decorations. The second section of the shaft shows small näsis on each face; the third section is decorated with pearl festoons issuing from the mouth of kirttimukha, and a band of half diamonds between double-petalled lotuses; and the fourth is occupied by a lasuna with simple or flamboyant nāsīs below and double-petalled lotuses above. The bulbous ghata of the abacus and the bevelled corbels are plain. In another variety the pillars are made circular with unadorned double-pot below the ghata and above the plain lower section. In the third variety the pillars are like the last type, but the lower section of the shaft is octagonal and the double-pot is sixteen-sided. The bay formed by four central pillars has a flat ceiling relieved boldly by a large lotus flower.
Stylistically, this temple may be placed in the last quarter of the 10th century A.D.
Cāmundarāya-basadi - This east-facing shrine is one of the largest and finest temples of Gangavādi.
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