Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 25

Introduction
of this tradition became lethargic and increased their belongings. Some of the Caityavasins (monks living in the temples) grew so influential that they got nonCaityavāsins ousted from the capital city of Aṇahillapāṭaka (modern Patan in Gujarat) during the time of the Capa ruler Vanaraja who ruled from about A.D. 745. Though there was a marked decline in the general ethics of the Caityavasins (Śvetambara) and the Bhaṭṭārakas (Digambara), their permanent living in the Jaina shrines proved very fruitful for the foundation of many Jaina Bhandaras (Libraries) within the premises of the temples. It was indeed at these centres of learning that thousands of Jaina texts were written after the 9th 10th century A.D. On account of its usefulness, such libraries were also established at other places with a good number of Jaina texts. Prior to the installation of the printing press, the copying and distribution of various texts were made from these places. The Jaina Bhandaras housed in the Jaina temples at Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Patan, Cambay, Kolhapur, Moodabidri etc. exist to this day with a good collection of handwritten manuscripts.
The Jaina caves are located at places where there are rocky hills. These places lie far from the residential areas and, except for a few places, are not reckoned among the religious centres of the Jainas. The Jaina stupa and structural temples, on the other hand, are generally situated amidst the Jaina localities or at the sacred Jaina spots. After the 6th century A.D. when the temple-building got a momentum, a large number of Jaina holy places (tirthakṣetras) associated with the life of the Tirthankaras and other Jaina ascetics were spotted and temples in honour of the Tirthankaras were raised there. Some of these places, e.g. Śatruñjaya in Gujarat, have such a large concentration of Jaina temples that they have developed into a temple-city.
In the construction of Jaina religious buildings various kinds of building materials have been used. Prior to the Mauryan period, the buildings were mostly made of wood, bamboo and straw. Burnt bricks were also used, but they were employed more frequently later
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than earlier. The use of stone as a building material started from the Mauryan period in the 4th-3rd century B.C. This is evident from the remains of a palatial building at Pataliputra (Patna, Bihar), monolithic pillars, stupa, and rock-cut Jaina caves at Rajgir (Bihar). In the Jaina stupa of Mathura we find both burnt bricks and stone; rocky hills were a quarry for Jaina caves; and sandstone formed the basic building material of the structural temples. In the construction of Jaina temples different shades of sandstone have been used. This was due indeed to the fact that what shade and quality of stone was locally available was used in the construction of Jaina temples. Since sandstone was available in plenty throughout the country and was very tractable, it came to be used as the most common building material. Side by side sandstone, white marble in Rajasthan and Gujarat, soapstone in Karnataka and granite in Tamil Nadu were also used.
Wood has always been an important building material as it was easily available, it had the advantage of reducing the weight without affecting the strength of the structure, and was amenable to elaborate carvings not possible in brick or stone. The only limitation with wood is its perishable nature. It was employed in doors, windows, pillars, beams, brackets and railings. Teak wood was the first choice of the artist as it would last long and its oil content might preserve nails from rust. The railing of the Jaina stupa of Mathura is also worked out on the pattern of woodcraft. Many medieval Jaina temples and houses in Gujarat and Rajasthan were made of wood, bearing a wealth of carvings, because this region was comparatively drier than other parts of the country and the heat resistant quality of wood made the living very comfortable. Wooden beams may still be seen in the Ajitanatha temple at Taranga (Gujarat) built in A.D. 1164. Here they have been used to strengthen the domical ceiling in the upper storey of the gudhamandapa (closed hall in front of sanctum).
If we enlist all the Jaina buildings mentioned in the Jaina texts and the modern works on the subject,