Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 255

Jaina Temple Architecture : South India
233
The interior pillars of the gūdhamandapa are lathe- turned and almost circular, while the peripheral pilasters are hand-made and square throughout. Both are plain but well wrought. The pillars have a cubical base; their shaft shows an octagonal and a faceted narrow section below, and then it turns into a circular recess followed by a large bell member adorned with a band of circular foliage, a circular belt and kalaša, and the capital consists of päli and bulbous circular abacus topped by bevelled brackets.
The temple is datable to the middle of the 11th century A.D. NAGAI
Nagai is situated in the Gulbarga district of Karnataka. There is a Jaina shrine of Pārsvanātha. It is a plain structure with two chambers. In the vimāna of the temple is enshrined an image of Jina Pārsvanātha. It was probably built in the mid-11th century A.D. KUPPATUR
Kuppatur is situated to the north of the Sorab town in Karnataka. It has a ruined shrine of Pärsvanatha founded by Malaladevi, consort of the Kadamba king Kirtideva, in A.D. 1075 for Padmanandi of Konda- kundānvaya. In the foundation inscription it has been called "Brahma-jinälaya."
Pārsvanatha Temple - This north-facing temple is like a rectangular hall with plain exterior. In the interior it shows unpolished lathe-turned pillars which have a square moulded base, square and circular shaft, circular capital and four-armed plain brackets. The circular shaft shows from below an octagonal and a sixteen-sided narrow belt, broad circular section with a median band decorated with beaded garlands and quadrangular rosettes at intervals, bell, belt and kalasa. The capital consists of tādi, ring, faceted ghata, pāli and square phalaka. The collapsed ceiling slab is relieved with a beautiful full-blown lotus flower comprising two rows of petals and a central pistil. The principal Jina image of the sanctuary, which has been recently recovered from the temple debris, is sitting cross-legged
and shows serene expression. LAKSMESVARA
Lakşmeśvara, ancient Purrigere, lies to the southeast of the district headquarters of Dharwad in Karnataka. It was a religious centre of considerable importance for both the Jainas and the Brāhmaṇas from the times of the early Calukyas and the Rästrakūtas. This is evident from references made to several temples in the available inscriptions, but owing to their destruction by the Colas in the time of the Western Cālukya king Someśvara I (A.D. 1042-1067) and also due to later repairing and restructuring, their original form has very much obliterated. At present, there are four temples at Laksmeśvara of which two are Jaina and belong to the Western Calukya period. One of these is called Sankhabasadi and the other Anantanātha-basadi.
Sankha-basadi - This east-facing temple (Fig. 116; PL. 105) consists of five vimānas (pañcakūta) with a common rectangular gūdhamandapa and a square screened rangamandapa. The rectangular space of the east-west oriented güdhamandapa is divided into two square bays, each possessing four pillars in the nave. The front bay is attached to the rangamandapa, while the rear bay provides ingress to three vimānas at the back and two at the lateral sides. The back chamber has been made rectangular in order to accommodate three vimānas in the interior. This has also affected the configuration of the exterior walls as they carry seven offsets on the longer back side and five each on the two shorter sides. The central offset in each vimāna is broader and faceted, while all the other offsets are plane with cut-off corners. The offsets are separated from one another by salilāntaras.
The adhisthāna of the five vimānas, standing on a sub-socle of upāna, jagati and plain padma, consists of two successive jagatis, padma, antarita, karnaka, antarita, ürdhvapadma, kapota with plain bosses, and a pattikā decorated at some places with incised foliage, at other places with bosses having lozenges or left plain. The portion above the adhisthana has been so extensively
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