JAINA Convention 1993 07 Pittusburgh

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

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to be made from Gurjar- Pratihar and more stupas in Kankali-Tila at Mathura art of Jain temple making went on Kalturi periods, in the post Gupta of the centuries immediately before and improving in craftsmanship. period. Though the finest of the Jain after Christ. Some of the Ayagpattas Also in the Tamil region there are images, highly adorned, are found in found in Kankali -Tila excavation bear number of rock-caverns at various Madhya pradesh, Rajasthan, Fujarat inscriptions of Jain stupas. Building places which are with or without beds and Western U.P., in south too, particu
created for the Jain saints right from the larly in Karnataka, Jain colossals and favour with the Jains by the close of the 2nd-1st century B.C. other images were made. Fifty-seven Gupta period. feet high monolith Gommateswar
Jain Temples (Bahubali) statue created by Chaumund
Caves rai - the Minister and Commander of the
The Jain temples do not appear to Ganga ruler Rachmall IV in 981 A.D. at The Jain ascetics earlier did not have the origin before the commenceSravanabelgola is the finest example of enter the cities. They preferred to have m ent of iconography. Temple architeciconography -- known world over. The short stay in forests, caves, rock-shelters ture is a direct result of icon or image other colossals of Bahubali are at Karkal etc outside the dwelling places. More worship since at least the historic times. (41'3" - 1432 A.D.), Venur (35 - 1604 than 200 sites in India have the existence The Buddhist texts speak of the existA.D.), Dharmasthals (39 - 1973 A.D.) of natural or man-made Jain caves e nce of Arhat-chaityas in the Vajji counall in Karnataka and Firozabad (35 - Many of the sites in various parts of try and Vaisali, which had come down 1976 A.D.) in UP. The 84 feet high India have been visited by me, which are from pre-Buddha and so from pre-Mauhighly attractive statues of paraswantha splendid creation. The man made ryan times. From the 4th century B.C. in sitting posture in Gwalior For. caves were mainly created for the Jain there is direct evidence of the existence Mathura, Chanderi, Narwar, Khajuraho, monks and for worship. The earliest of Jain images, cave temples and strucDevgarh, Ahar and many other places among those are fur caves of Mauryan tural shrines or temples. Remnents of have been important centres of Jain idol period made on the order of Emperor temples found from the excavations of making in the past, while Jaipur and Ashok in the middle of 3rd century B.C. Lohanipur, Sravasti and Mathura do not Karkal are the foremost centres of the for Ajivak Jain saints in Barabar Hill help in assessing the exact form of the present time.
and Nagarjuni Hill, 12 miles south of ancient Jain temples. The earliest forms
Rajgir; two rock cut caves (twin caves) of temples were know as Yakshayatan Stupas
of Son Bhadar at Rajgir also of Mauryan and Yaksha-chaitya. The Jain caves
period, and Hathigumpha and Ranigum- which were known as cave temple are The stupa was an early form of pha at Udaigiri Hill near Bhuvanesh- being considered different from Jain structural architecture of the Jaina s evi- wara (1st century B.C.). Later larger temples. The rock cut Jain caves are, denced by the excavations of Kankali- caves were created at Vidisha (2 Jain however, of earlier origin. The rock cut Tila site at Mathura. As the saying goes, caves among 20 Gupta period caves), caves have their origin in the pre-Christhe earliest stupa (Temple) of gold was Terpur and Ellora caves in Maharashtra tian era. made by gods during the time of 7th and at many other places.
Earlier the temples were simple in Tirthankar Suparswanath and was later The tradition of cave making with form. The Vedika and Spire are the later renovated in the period of Tirthankar the Jain images inscribed in them is additions, as is known from the temples Paraswanath. It was known as Vodvo- found in a developed form in Sittan- of Mathura built in 2nd and Ist century Stupa. Its mention has been made on vasal (Tamil Nadu), Aihole and Badami B.C. the pedestal of image of Tirthankar Jain Caves (Karnataka) and Ellora and The temple making became popular Munisuvrat of 2nd century A.D. found Terpur Jain Caves. The Ellora group of during Mauryan and Shunga periods in Kank ali-Tila excavations. Actually, Jain caves created in 10th-11th century with constant uptrend in Shak-Satvahan even by the 2nd century A.D. this stupa A.D. is indeed the finest example of period (1st-2nd century B.C.), while the had become so ancient that the facts cave making in India in quality of sculp- images of Trithankars began to be about its origin were completely forgot- ture and inscriptions. The Jagannath inscribed in various portions of the temten and it came to be ascribed to gods. and Indrasabha caves are fully devel- ples including the columns. Mathura, The stupas generally had four Vedicas oped forms of Jain temples having vedi- capital of Saurasena--an important city (alters) for worship. Though the Jain lit- kas, full size images of Tirthankars, from 6th century B.C., Ahichatra, erature abounds in references to stupas huge columns and roof and wall decora- Kasusambi, Kampila and Hastinapur but the only extant remains are of one or tion. It is from Ellora Jain caves that the were the principal Jain temple centres
"The term Jain stands for self control and Ahimsa. Where there is Ahimsa the feeling of hatred cannot remain. It is the duty of the Jains to proagate the doctrine of Ahimsa throughout the world."
-Sardar Vallabhai Patel Indian Nationalist leader and Deputy Prime Minister of India (1947-50)
Ye
-7TH BIENNIAL JAINA CONVENTION - JULY 1993