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Jaina Temple Architecture : South India
229
The doorframe attached to the east wall is of the pañcaśäkhã variety representing carved ratnas, bhūtas in loops, round stambha entwined with creepers and a pūrnaghata, vyālas in vine-loops, and lotus garland. The lower part of the sākhās carries among dvārapālas and female attendants the figures of Rati and Kamadeva. The door-lintel continues the decoration of the two inner sakhas but is interrupted in the centre by the lalātabimba which represents Gajalaksmi. Above this is a band of bell-and-chains issuing from the mouth of grāsas and then follows a cornice underlined with a band of geese. Over and above this, in the centre, is a figure of seated Jina. The doorframe is fine and deeply cut.
The mukhamandapa is an open hall resting on an adhisthana which is somewhat distinct from that of the vimana as it shows kantha instead kumuda. It is landed up from the front by a stairway having plain elephant banister. Its square plan shows recessed corners and projecting sides with eighteen pillars on the parapet wall and twelve free-standing pillars in the interior. Of the twelve interior pillars the four in the nave are lathe- turned. The pillars (Pl. 101) of the mukhamandapa are of several varieties. They have a plain moulded base, ornate and faceted shaft, and a short capital in the parapet pillars and a prominent one in the others. Though the pillars are charming, they have not yet reached their perfectness. The mukhamandapa is shaded by a large sloped out eave-cornice. The prastara and hāra here also top the wall and are the same as the rest of the building, but instead of makara figures the panels here contain flowers.
A mutilated image of Pärśvanātha is lying outside the temple which may have once graced the upper shrine.
Nāganātha Temple - The temple is today called Nāganatha because the enshrined image of Pārsvanātha has been replaced by a Siva-linga beneath the cobra- canopy of Nāgarāja Dharaṇendra, probably during the upsurgence of the Virasaivism. This is apparent from
the cobra-canopy of Dharanendra (the Yakşa of Pārsvanatha), the two caurī-bearers of the Jina and the triple umbrella overhead.
This east-facing temple (Fig. 115) consists of a vimāna, an antarala, a gudhamandapa and an entrance porch. The arrangement of the plan and elevation of the vimana and gūdhamandapa closely corresponds to those of the Great Jaina Temple at Lakkundi, but the various offsets are prominently shown and the temple bears less ornament than its predecessor.
The adhisthana of the temple consists of an upana, jagati, padma, antarita, kumuda, antarita, urdhvapadma and kapota and is quite plain. The wall pilasters have their upper section faceted and well carved with bell, belt, kalaša, tādi, ghata, oversailing phalaka and bevelled corbel. The uttara-beam above is well wrought. The wall surface here also shows kuta-niches at the karnas and kūtastambhas in the salilantaras. The prastara and hăra are in good taste as they are not overburdened with figures of vyāla, makara, birds etc. in the prastara and foliage and sculptural panels in the küțas and salās of the hāra. The superstructure of the vimana has disappeared. The doorframe of the garbhagrha is of the pañcasākhā variety decorated with ratnas, bhūtas in loops, stambha with entwined scrolls, vyälas and thin Lotuses respectively.
The gudhamandapa is spacious and is entered through an unadorned doorframe of four jambs of ratna, rainceau with rounded corner, faceted stambha and khalva (depressed). The four lathe-turned nave pillars are perfectly worked out with metallic finish. The pillars support a flat ceiling carved with thousand petalled lotus of unsurpassed formation and lustre, the best among the known Karņāțan examples of the period."
The entrance porch consists of two pillars and two pilasters supporting a flat ceiling. The two pillars are of the square order with corners chamfered into three angles. Their moulded base and capital are of the usual Calukyan order but the shaft shows on their upper section two decorative belts, the lower showing lotus
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