Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 245

Jaina Temple Architecture: South India
round from a fine-grained granite rock on the top of the Indragiri hill at Śravanabelagola. This north-facing, robeless, polished image is 58 ft. high. It stands on the rounded top of the hill measuring 470 ft. high from the surrounding plains and is visible all around for miles. It is represented in a contemplative standing posture (kayotsargamudra) with ant-hills, snakes and ascending creepers, and bearing all traits of the Great Man (mahāpurușa-lakṣaṇa). Indeed, it is a marvellous production of any age and "nothing grander or more imposing exists anywhere out of Egypt, and even there no known statue surpasses it in height." The image was got made by Camuṇḍaraya, the minister and general under the Ganga king Racamalla (A.D. 972-984), though the traditional date of its consecration is the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the Caitra month in A.D. 1028. The huge image of Gommatesvara is surrounded by a structural pillared corridor with shrines for twentyfour Tirthankaras. The corridor pillars are of the faceted class and have plain corbels. On the roof are scores of miniature shrines containing divine figures. These shrines are built on a square or rectangular base covered by pyramidal or barrel-vaulted roof. The corridor was erected by Gangaraja, the general of Hoysala king Viṣṇuvardhana (A.D. 1110-1152). ANNIGERI
It is located in the Dharwad district of Karnataka. There are two Jaina temples at Annigeri, one is called Jaina Basadi and the other may be referred to as ruined Jaina temple.
Jaina Basadi - This old Jaina temple had originally been founded by Ganga Perumaṇḍi in the middle of the 10th century A.D., but it was burnt down by the imperial Colas in A.D. 1071. Not much is known about this temple; some fragments of the upapitha and adhiṣṭhāna, however, may still be seen in the totally renovated east facade. Another piece of this temple is a pair of elephant banisters preserved at the eastern stairway of the guḍhamaṇḍapa. This excellent banister shows in profile a powerful lion attacking and subduing
an elephant. From the mouth of the lion issues the modular coping stone with fine heavenly figures in stemmed loops (Pl. 91).
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Ruined Jaina Temple - This temple is situated near the aforesaid Jaina Basadi. Originally, it had a vimāna with two halls, all now ruined. The outer hall has stellate type of pillars in the nave and square ones towards the periphery. This temple was probably built in the end of the 11th or the beginning of the 12th century A.D.
ANGADI
Angadi (ancient Sosevur, i.e. Śaśakapura) is located about fifty miles south-west of Belur in the Hassan district of Karnataka. It was the capital of the Hoysalas prior to Dorasamudra or Darasuram. Angadi seems to have been an important Jaina centre during the Hoysala rule as it has three Jaina temples of this period. Two of these are called Väsantikā or Padmavati-devi temple and Sosevur-basti and the third is anonymous.
Vasantikā or Padmavati-devi Temple - This temple at the capital town seems to have been erected as a mark of devotion to the Jaina Yakṣi Padmavati who was the patron goddess of the Hoysalas. The temple has been renovated recently, but the images of Jaina Yakṣa and Yakṣi inside the sanctum are old datable to the latter half of the 10th century A.D. Sosevür-basti This north-facing temple, which still preserves the sanctuary up to the cornice, consists of a vimana and a gudhamandapa and is entered without a porch from the north.
The straight-sided square vimana (Pl. 97), about 17 ft. side, stands on an unadorned adhiṣṭhāna which consists of an upana, jagatī, broad tripatta kumuda, kampa, kantha, urdhvapadma and kapota, and resembles to that of the Sule-basti at Humca. The wall is punctuated with tetragonal pilasters displayed almost at regular intervals. Below, the pilasters are plain and above they carry mouldings of an inverted lasuna, belt, lasuna, tāḍī, bulbous ghața, pali, square phalaka and bevelled corbel. The corner pilasters are thicker than those on the sides.
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