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श्री राष्ट्रसंत शिरोमणि अभिनंदन पंथ
The Mahavira group of temples at Osiano is a celebrated shrine dedicated to the last Jaina Tirthankara. The temple complex also comprises seven Devakulikas, i.e. chaples. Within a walled court yard the Mahavira temple (mulaprasada) with an ambulatory (pradakshina-patha), an antarala (vestibule), a gudhamandapa (closed hall) and a mukhamandapa (a open hall). A highly embellished beautiful torana stood before it, but it is now crumbled. The original valanaka also called nalamandapa (entry hall) which once stood just in front of the torana alos crumbled. Probably the temple was originally built in the last quarter of the eighth century A.D. and according to Dhaky belongs to early phase of Mahamaru style, the chronological limits of which he fixes between A.D. 725 and 825. However, the temple, as it stands now, shows renovations, additions and alterations which it has undergone in the subsequent periods. The spire of the temple shows urahsringas, karnarsringas, karnakutakas, gavakshas etc. indicating its construction during the 11th-12th centuries A.D. making use of old materials.
There are seven Devakulikas in the temple complex which are pancharatha on plan and elevation and have a mukhachatushki and ekandaka sikhara. These devakulikas are precious little gems of architecuture illustrative of the art and iconography as well as the development of western Indian architecutral style. According to Dhaky they reprsent the diagnostic features of the Maru-Gurjara which had reached the utmost possibilities of their virginal development by A.D. 975 and could no longer maintain their virginal purity therafter.
In the period of the Prathiharas central India had become an important centre of Jainism. Hundreds of Jaina temples were erected at different sites. However, it was only the Digambara sect of the Jaina religion which flourished in the region of central India during the period under review. In this region the sites of Gwalior fort and amrol (Gwalior), Badoh and Gyaraspur (Vidisha) and Tumain and sakarra (Guna) in Madhy Pradesh and Kausambi and Lachchhagir (Allahabad), Deogarh and Bonpur (Lalitpur) and Mathur in Uttar Pradesh appear to be important centres of art of the Jaina religion during the Pratihara period. Mathura continued to a centre of Jaina art and architecture during this period, as is attested by the find of several Jaina images. In fact, the Mathura region or the Brajbhumi was the sacred land to the Jainas as well as Brahmanists. Of the period under review the Mathura Museum has interesting collection of Jaina sculptures showing Jainas, sasana-devis and secondary gods. The State Museum Lucknow and Allahabad Museum have in their collections representative sculptures from almost all parts of U.P.
Gwalior fort, which is known for the rock-cut Jaina colossi of the Tomara period has a remarkable group of rocksculptures of Ambika yakshi and her consort. The site has also yielded sculptures of Adinatha, Parsvanatha, Chaturvinsati - patta and Nandisvara-dvipa. In central India the earliest image of Adinatha, the first Tirthankara is known from the village Amrol (Gwalior)."
Badoh in Dirstric Vidisha (M.P.) is a reputed site of Pratihara art and architecture, which has a fairly large Jaina temple showing a quadrangular arrangement of devakulikas, each with a square sanctum, roofed by a latina Nagara sikhara of c.
हेमेन्द्र ज्योति* हेमेन्द्रज्योति 141 हेमेन्द्र ज्योति* हेमेन्द्र ज्योति
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