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ART E LITERATURE 47
Photo: James Maturin-Baird
Photo: dinodia.com
Photo: James Maturin-Baird
House of Inscriptions, Shravanabelagola
Parsvanath, Khajuraho
ELLORA, MAHARASHTRA The 34 cave temples at Ellora express Hindu, Buddhist and Jain themes. The Jain caves, 30 to 34, were built from the 8th to 13th century AD and marked the last phase of activity at Ellora. Cave 32 houses a beautiful shrine adorned with fine carvings of a lotus flower on the roof, and a yakshi on a lion under a mango tree. The two most noteworthy excavations in Ellora are Indrasabha and Jagannathasabha. Indrasabha is a two-storey shrine cut into the rock to a depth of over 200 feet. The upper storey of the Indrasabha is considered to be the most exquisite in Ellora. The Jagannathasabha is smaller. It has a well-proportioned Jain arch, the torana. The pillars are carved in an ornate style. On the top of the hill is a 16-feet-high rock-hewn statue of Parsvanath. The plan of the Ellora caves is such that you have to pass through numerous Buddhist and Hindu temples to get to the one that houses the image of Parsvanath. This temple is called Parsvanath on the Hills.
KHAJURAHO, MADHYA PRADESH Nine kilometres from the village of Khajuraho, on the banks of the River Khudar, stands a cluster of temples built by the kings of the Chandela dynasty between the 10th and 12th centuries. Of the 85 temples that have been recorded by various travellers, only 22 remain and are divided into Western, Eastern and Southern groups of temples. The three Jain temples: Parsvanath, Ghantai and Adinath, all belong to the Eastern Group. The Parsvanath temple is one of the finest at Khajuraho, representing some unique images from the Hindu and Jain pantheon. Originally dedicated to Adinath, later a black image of Parsvanatn was also sanctified - the only temple with two altars. Dr. L. M. Singhvi is the former Indian High Commissioner to UK. The above article is extracted from 'Jain Temples in India and Around the World', Himalayan Books, 2002, available from Jain Spirit at £30 plus petp.
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