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out: "unlike other religious sects of those times, the Jains invariably selected secluded picturesque sites for their temples, and cave-temples for meditation and other related rituals. As per Jain religious inscriptions a devotee is just like a perfect pilgrim, who is journeying through life as a stranger in this world. He is required to perform the journey on the path of truth, knowledge and perfect conduct" (31). In our judgement, Jain monks were not alone in selecting "secluded picturesque sites for temples", but there is no doubt about the recognition that nature in all her beauty provides an optimum meeting place for body and spirit.
Delwara te,ple dome at Mt.Abu
Jain Education International 2010_03
It was under the vaulted canopy of the banyan tree - Nature's own cathedral that Lord Buddha received his enlightenment. The Buddha was acting on the belief shared by Jain monks that Nature speaks with many tongues to the deep levels of the human soul, and hence the practice of locating temples, schools and monasteries in arboreal settings.
Unlike Buddhists, Jain temples give a central place to idol-worship, signifying the elevated place accorded to Jain Tirthankaras, and intending their emulation by devotees. In time, similar honour was given to
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Detail - Mt. Abu
Temples are for life
icons of Acharyas (teachers), Siddhas (enlightened Ones), Sruta Devi (Goddess of Learning), and Yakshi (female folk deity). Icons took on symbolic form, such as the circle for Mahavira.
Next, Bhattacharya introduces us to the Jain Temple of Khajuraho, which served as capital city of the Chandelas in the middle ages. We peer into the Parsvanatha Shrine - the largest and best preserved. Bhattacharya notes that the image of Parsvanatha "is of recent origin," installed in 1860 AD, and observes that "the outer walls of the temple are decorated with fine sculptures like that of a woman writing a love letter, a lady fondling her child, a Nayika (heroine) painting her feet, a lady at her toilet and a female figure extracting a thorn from her foot" (32) mundane images celebrating the common life.
October
Moving along, Joginder Chawla exclaims: "You are simply mesmerised when you enter the magnificent Jain temple at Ranakpur (35). Set in solitary grandeur within the forested valley of the Aravali hills in Rajasthan, and built over a period of 50 years at a cost of rupees 9.9 million, "this three-storeyed wonder in marble, also▸
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December 1999
⚫ Jain Spirit
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