________________
Art and Architecture / 231
Brahmakānta pilasters resemble similar ones of Sūļe basti, Bögarabasti, and Pārsvanātha basadi.
8.4.4.8. Bögāra-basadi olim Asokavana Basadi, of early tenth cent., has preserved its older frame work except for some additions on the first floor. Founded by the traders (brazier - section) of the Jaina community during the period of Govindara-IV, Bögara basadi is one of the finest specimen of the Sāntara temple architecture: 'Judging from the elegant proportions as well as the high quality of workmanship, it must rank among the most beautiful temples of this period in Karnatadēśa (Dhaky: 1986 : 222].
8.4.4.8.1. Sitting pretty like a child on the lap of nature, Bögāra basadi, without any doorway guardian figures below, has the Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi carved above the jamb. Three figures of yaksas near the temple are noteworthy, out of which two are of Ambikā alias Kūşmāņdidēvī, and the third one is of Mātanga yaksa. Balipisha infront of the temple substitutes the Mānastambha. The four Brahmakānta pillars in the navaranga, enriched with superior ornamental details, are modelled on the Ellora Jaina cave temples of the imperial Rāstrakūta architecture.
8.4.4.8.2. A vertical scroll-band, a broad belt emitting jewelled ropes, a crisply carved undulating vine, floral motif bearing a seated Jina, figures of Pārsva and Bāhubali - on the shafts of pillars show the sculptor's mastery in brilliant chiselling and indecorative art : "The rich exuberance and the crisp carving of the applied ornament is in keeping with the high standard of decorative work maintained throughout the best examples in Karņāța... The lion - throne inside the garbhagrha is as old as the temple, but the image seems a recent replacement. Altogether, the temple has the sense of a royal foundation, not so much in its size, which is very modest, but in its excellence' [Dhaky: 222-23).
8.4.4.9. Of the other Jaina vestiges of this epoch, some
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
