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226/The Raṣṭrakūtas and Jainism
part of the shaft, and ghața, pot (cushion-shaped pillar-part above laśuna, and on the phalaka, top-abacus a fourfold image of Brahma - Yakṣa seated back to back, facing four cardinals.
8.4.3.3. The so-called Indra-sabha and the Jagannathasabha are the most noteworthy and elaborate excavations in the Jaina series. The Indra-sabha, the earliest of the group, is a double storeyed south-facing excavation and is the largest and the most important piece of rock-architecture forming a group rather than a single cave-temple.... The lateral walls of the entrenched open court have two smaller excavations of the type of a pillard mandapa on one side and an unfinished gallery on the other. They contain sculptures of Pārsvanatha, Gommata, Kubera, Ambika, Sumatinatha and other Tirthankaras, Yakṣas, etc." [Srinivasan, K. R.: The Deccan, chapter 18 in Jaina Art and Architecture, vol. 1: p. 18].
8.4.3.4. "The walls, ceilings, and the shrine-interior are covered with exquisite paintings, fairly well-preserved. Besides the flying Gandharvas or Vidyadhara couples, the most interesting painting is that of an eight-armed deity on the ceiling of the antarala in the catura-mode of dance. The absence of marks or attributes of Siva in the painting would distinguish it as obviously one of a deity of the Jaina pantheon, perhaps Indra" [Srinivasan, K. R.: 190].
8.4.3.5. The Jaina excavasions on the soft trap-ridge of Ellōra excel the rest of the caves at Ellōrā, particularly in the perfection of their architectural members. Since beauties of ornamentation, drapery, graces, poses and stances could be introduced only in the sculptures of the attendant deities, their depiction were exploited with skill. The Tirthankara forms, which are to be in the prescribed and conventionalized poses and styles, could not all be so well-executed. The Jaina monuments were on the whole excel in their richly-carved details, perfected finish, particularly in the variety of pillars,
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