Book Title: Jain Journal 1986 04
Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

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Page 26
________________ 128 JAIN JOURNAL tures, principally Jain ; the principal ones are collected within a long shed, which occupies the site of a large temple, of which the foundations still exist; the principal object of attention here is a colossal naked figure, with the lotus as symbol on the pedestal ; the figure is 74 feet high ; near it, and along the walls, are ranged numerous others, two small ones with the bull symbol, one smaller with the lotus, a votive chaitya sculptured on four sides, the symbols of the figures on the four sides being a lion, an antelope, a bull, and what appears to be a lamb ; over each principal human figure on the chaitya is represented a duck or a goose, holding a garland; there is, beside this, a second votive chaitya, and there may be others within that I could not see; the temple, which enshrined the colossal figure, must have faced west ; it was very large, containing the full complement of preliminary chambers and hall in front of the sanctum. The colossal figure has a natural crack or flaw diagonally across the thighs and feet, said to have been inflicted by the swords of Muhammadan conquerors of the country when it was first taken. Close to it, I excavated a mound of ruins; the yield consisted of five Buddhist sculptures of a late age; the most remarkable of these is a male and a female figure seated under a tree which may be meant for a date-palm ; it has been photographed ; the temple where these statues were, was of brick ; it faced north ; it had a mandapa in front, and must, therefore, have been of a larger size than any that are now standing there. A large brick temple, the only one now standing, of brick ; faces east, and has its doorway of the usual overlapping type, and without the stone sill cutting up its height into a doorway proper and an illuminating window; the temple, externally and internally, is remarkably plain, the only ornamental projections, &c., being at the corners ; the bricks are all set in mud; the interior was once plastered, but it is now bare ; probably the exterior was also plastered ; there is no interior roof to the cell, the pyramidal hollow of the tower being open to the sanctum ; there is no object of worship inside. To the north of this stands a line of four stone temples, three still standing, one broken ; these are of the usual single-cell pattern, and the doorway is not cut up into two portions ; these then, as well as the brick one just noticed, were single-cell temples, but at some subsequent period mandapas were added to them ; they have, however, all got broken, leaving the facades of the temples complete, so that not only is it evident that they were simply added on afterwards, but it is further evident that they were not even bonded into the walls of the original temples; the junctions, where any exist, are quite plain ; all these temples face north. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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