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Jaina Temple Architecture : South India
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It is a large rectangle divided into a three-storeyed (tritala) square vimāna, an antarāla, a gūdhamandapa of almost the size of vimana and a later built entrance porch (Figs. 109-111; Pl. 94). The vimāna shows bhadra, pratibhadra and karna both in plan and elevation, while the gūdhamandapa is laid out in a straight line. The unadorned adhisthana (Fig. 106), common in both the structures, consists above the straight-sided upăna of jagati, antarita, three-faceted kumuda, kantha with kampas below and above, and a pattikā with prati.
The walls of the ground storey (āditala) of the vimāna on north, south and west are punctuated by ten pilasters, two flanking each offset, with two additional ones intended for a sculptured niche in the bhadra. The north and south faces of the gudhamandapa also have the same set of pilasters and bhadra niches, but since the walls have no offsets and recesses, they are just relieved on the flat walls. All the bhadra niches, which must have once contained standing figures of Jinas, are empty now. The pilasters are all of the square order. The three-fourth lower section of their shaft is plain; the one-fourth upper section shows an inverted pot, a belt marked by four straight lines, and a lasuna-shaped kalasa (pitcher). The capital consists of tādi, ghata, pāli, phalaka and kantha; the corbel atop the last has bevelled arms. The prastara consists of uttara, vājana, valabhi with close-set hassas, overhanging flexed kapota with ornate paired nāsis at intervals, vyalamala with fine figures of gajavyālas, simhavyālas and other leonine figures, and antarita with square blocks carved with creepers; the prastara is exceptionally good. In the vyālamālā many water-chutes have been inserted to drain out rain water. The hāra is composed of all the three units of kūta, sala and panjara with intervening recessed hāräntaras. The aedicules are rendered full in shape (anarpita) since there is an open passage behind them, and have ornate nāsi-kosthas on their exposed faces. The nāsi-kosthas are generally vacant, but those on the pañjaras contain minutely carved temple- models. Below nāsi-kosthas are found finely wrought
figure sculptures-seated Jinas with two rampant vyālas on each śālā, seated Jina on the kūta, Yaksa on the pañjara, and Yaksa, Yakşi and male and female devotees on the hārāntaras. In the north-east as well as southeast karnakuta of the ground storey of the vimana is a figure of Kubera. The royal emblem of the Gangas, elephant, is also shown in its recumbent form below the hăräntara nāsi of the south antarāla. The interior doorway of the sanctum is very simple. Inside the sanctum is a steatite image of Neminātha, a later replacement of the original one.
The second tala with passage around its walls acts as an upper sanctuary entered from the east. It has one bhadra and two karnas on north, south and west faces, with an additional bay towards the antarala extension. Thus, there are four pairs of pilasters on the lateral sides and three pairs of pilasters on the rear or west side, all corresponding to those of the ground storey. The wider bhadras have each a shallow niche with a stucco image of standing Jina. The prastara consists as usual of uttara, harsamälä (the haṁsas are interrupted at the corners by lion-figures), kapota with ornate nāsis and vyālamālā, while the hara shows four ornamental karņakūtas and four bhadraśālās interconnected by härāntaras decorated with small násikās in pairs. The frieze below the nāsikās of the kutas and śālās depict seated Jinas, while that below the hārāntara-nāsikās shows male and female devotees. The prastara over the antarala walls on south and north has a panjara-kostha enshrining a seated Jina. The hāra on the east face of the antarala carries a gopura like śālā. The doorframe, like the one in the sanctum of the aditala, is simple. The sanctum of this tala contains a later image of Pārsvanātha.
The walls of the third tala, closed on all sides, carry four pilasters on each face, forming thus one central bay and two side ones. The wider central bay contains an image of seated Jina and the side ones have pañjara-kosthas with figures of devotees. The prastara here also carries the hamsamālä.
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