Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 30

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Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies
various types of granaries catuḥśālā, avaparaka, kosthaka, kosthapalla etc. The most common type was made by piling straw rings on the floor and by plastering the outer and inner surfaces with mud and cowdung. Another type was made of bamboo and straw, but it was raised on a platform (mañca) supported on bamboo posts (see, A. Ray, Villages, Towns and Secular Buildings in Ancient India, Calcutta, 1957, pp. 28-29).
Town Planning (Nagara-sanniveśa) - The Rayapaseniyasutta gives an elaborate description of the town-planning in the account of the city of Amalakappa where Tirthankara Mahavira had once stayed. It describes that the town was surrounded by a high, wide and deep moat (khata and phaliha). The khata was wider above and narrower below, while the phaliha had perpendicular sides throughout. Probably, the khata was filled up with slippery materials like linseed etc. and the phaliha simply with water. The town was enclosed on the inner side of the moat by a curved rampart (pāgāra) resembling a bow. The rampart had a pronounced batter the proportion of which at the base, middle and top was 1:24. It was thus of the tapering type resembling a cow-tail (gopuccha). The rampart's top was embellished with circular battlements (kavisīsaya), each measuring in proportion of one in length, half in thickness and a little more than one in height. The battlements were painted in black, blue, red, yellow and white colours. The rampart was provided with high gateways (daragopura) on all sides and had bastions (attalaya) for watchmen. The gateways had double heavy door-leaves (jamalakavāḍa) provided with such appliances as discs (cakka), clubs (gaya), maces (bhasumdi), barriers (oroha) and war-machines (sayagghi), and strongly fitted with traverse bars (phaliha) and bolts (imdakila). Expert carpenters were employed to make the doorways almost impregnable. The royal road (rayamagga) connecting the town with the fort (durga) was made in such a way that one could not easily approach the fort. The roads of the town crossed one another forming junctions of
three, four and more roads, resembling thus the thorny fruit of trapanataus (simghadaga-tiya-caukka-caccara). The town was adorned with beautiful caityas (ayaravamta-ceiya), attractive brothels (juaivisitthasanniviṭṭhabahula), pleasure gardens (ārāmaujjāṇa), wells (agada), tanks (talaga), lakes (dīhiya), ponds (väppi) and beautiful shops (panyapaṇa......suramma) (see H. Singh, Architectural Data in the Rayapasenya', Bharati, No. 17, pp. 173-80).
Palace (Prasada-vinyasa) The Rayapaseniya bequeaths us a fine description of palace architecture in the account of the Vimana of the heavenly god Suryabhadeva. The Vimana-palace is said to have been erected on hundreds of well-planted pillars embellished with graceful figures of Salabhañjikäs (women standing with distended boughs). The pillars were surmounted by capitals bearing hovering figures of Vidyadharas in pairs. The walls of the palace were adorned with figures of fabulous animals (ihamiya), bull (usabha), horse (turaga), man (nara), crocodile (magara), deer (ruru), lion (sarabha), yak (camara) and elephant (kumjara), motifs of wild creepers (vaṇalaya) and lotus creepers (paumalaya), and similar numerous decorative figures (ruvagasahassakaliya). The palace was approached from three sides by three stairways (tisovaṇa), each consisting of landing (pirma), pedestal (paithana), upright posts (khambha), planks (phalaga), cross-bars (sui), bonds (samdhi), base (avalambana) and coping (avalambaṇabaha). In front of each stairway was a beautiful toraṇagateway decorated with eight auspicious Jaina symbols (sotthiya, sirivaccha, pandiyavatta, vaddhamaṇaga, bhaddāsaṇa, kalasa, maccha and dappana), fly-whisk (camarajjhaya), and pendants of umbrella, flag, bell and varieties of lotuses. The floor of the palace was quite smooth and was paved with jewels and precious stones.
In the centre of the palace was a Theatre Hall (picchagharamamḍava) supported on pillars and bearing decorative motifs recounted above. Its roof (sihara) was adorned with bells and flags and had finials (thubhiya)