Holy Abu

Author(s): Jayantvijay
Publisher: Yashovijay Jain Granthmala

Page 44

Tweddie 1 ji in the Idar State, discussed by me in the Journal of Indian Museums, Vol. IX ( 1953), pp. 90-103, (with plates ), and assigned to the Gupta age. From all such considerations and from a study of most of the earlier sculptures of Gujarāt, Saurāṣtra and Mārwār, it can be said that this sculpture is not later than the c. 500 A. D. It seems that the Jagannātha shrine was originally a Vaişhņava shrine, or an early shrine of Vişhņu existed nearby."
The site thus was a Hindu site with Vaişhņave and Shaiva shrines, flourishing for about six centuries from at least the fifth to the eleventh centuries A. D., with a big organisation of its own from which Vimala Sāha was obliged to obtain land at huge costs.
The discovery of these sculptures from this site throws new light on the cultural history of Gujarāt and reveals for u's some of the most important specimens of sculptural art of Gujarāt in the Gupta and post-Gupta ages. Field archæologists should inspect the site and see if a sample trench would be useful.
That Mt. Ābu was rich in various shrines, tanks, stepwells etc., frequented by pilgrims, tourists etc., and resorted to by saints for peaceful meditation from all parts of India, is attested by a long description of it given by the Kashmirī poet Damodaragupta (c.750-790 A. D.) in his Kuttani-matam.
1 The present temple seems to have been rebuilt on an older plan. The temple has a garbhagļha with a big square maņpapa in front and connected by an antarāla. A very small open verandäh exists in front of the hall-entrance.
1 I am thankful to Dr. Moti Chandra for this reference, The passage is appended at the end of this introduction. , .