Book Title: Jain Shwetambar Conference Herald 1909 Book 05
Author(s): Mohanlal Dalichand Desai
Publisher: Jain Shwetambar Conference
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જૈન કેન્ફરન્સ હેરલ્ડ.
[ 09410
supplies us a more vivid aud lasting picture of a nation than History does.
We, Jains, by our habits and occupation must at all times
have held much of the wealth of the country We the greatest temple in our hands and from the special merit we builders in Western India.
believe to be attached to the building of a
temple and the dedication of images of our Tirthankaras, we are much more given to temple building than the Hindus. With us the aim is to erect a temple large or small, at one or other of the great Tirthas or Holy places and if unable to do so, to dedicate an image or repair an old temple.
General style of Architecture presented in our magnificent
temples at Shatrunjaya and Girnar in Kathiawar, Jain Architecture. at Parasnath or Samet Shikhar in Bengal, at Songad in central India, at Muktagiri in Central Provinces, at Mt. Abu in Rajputana and a considerable number in every city and village of any importance is familiarly known as the Jain Style of Architecture. It is singularly chaste and elegant and essentially Hindu. It was, as many Scholars of Architecture are led to believe, of the Brahmins first, but in its evolution it was bound to be modified in details by the Jain tastes and requirements. Hindus in turn accepted and copied our stylistic advances.
Being the greatest temple builders in Western India, we
had iu our keeping at least excellent works on Our Knowledge of civil and religious Architecture such as the Architecture. Prasada Mandala, Raja Vallabha &c. which
we have preserved even this day in our temple libraries where they are jealously locked up in huge chests. Salats, a class of Architects and builders have worked, as they still do, both for Hindus and Jains.
