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MONUMENTS & SCULPTURE A.D. 1000 TO 1300
[PART V
rafter-terminal courses on the entablature are, on the other hand, characteristic of the later Calukyan devices as seen Lakkundi, Dombal, Gadag, etc., in the same century.
Lakshmeswar, which was a very important centre of southern Jainism in western Karnataka right from the early centuries of the Christian era, has two temples, one the celebrated Sankha-Jinālaya and the other the Adinathabasti. The latter is a degenerate model of the Later Cāļukya type, incorporating, as it does, a mild curvature of the plinth-outline, by a multiplication and wedging of the anurathas, still retaining a very broad bhadra, a schematic varimana, the anuratha and karṇa-rafters gradually radiating, in tune with the curved nature of the plinth-faces, a central niche-like recess on the prastara, flanked by vimana-pañjaras, the vimäna-motif forming the crest of the pediment of the central niche, thus representing a greater devolution in its design than the Somesvara temple at the same place. The temple is thus liable to be placed in the middle of the late twelfth century. The interior shows an axial layout of the garbha-gṛha carrying a standing figure of Adinatha, with the sidechambers, of the tri-kūta form carrying Parsvanatha on the eastern and a standing Tirthankara on the western side of the temple, as is often the case with Jaina shrines facing north.
The Sankha-basti is, even in its ruins, a very spacious construction, showing an inner main complex comprising a garbha-gṛha, a large ardha-mandapa and a still larger and wider maha-manḍapa and ranga-mandapa. This last is provided with three entrances on the south, north and west, with a caumukha structure in diminutive model in the south-west part of the mandapa facing north. Each of the faces of the caumukha carries three figures, in addition to to which there is a representation in ten rows, one above the other, of almost all the Tirthankaras in miniature. Thus, it is a caumukha combined with cauvisi type of shrine. The details of the wall and pilaster of the shrine present the southern order of the early medieval times, with phalaka (abacus), interesting corbels of the simple bevel type, an eaves-board and a kapota. The superstructure over the cornice is of the pidha-deul type are the tiered and recessed Kadamba-Nagara type, of a pañca-ratha pattern, the tiers also showing at each level niched Tirthankara figures invariably seated. A square sikhara caps this caumukha model.
The exterior of the layout shows a plinth, carrying a heavy double upāna and padma, a stepped jagati forming a raised terrace, another padma, kani (karnika), kapota and vyälavari, the vyālas shown fairly realistically, followed
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