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74
Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India
Pereira has recorded three Jinas (S7, S8 and S9) on the left sidewall. But there are only two Jinas and therefore S7 of Pereira has been discarded here. Similarly, he has also recorded a vertical row of three seated Jinas on the pilaster to the left of the main hall doorway. But there are no icons on this pilaster. Instead, on the pilaster to the right of the main hall doorway, there is a small figure of a seated Jina (icon no 15). It does not seem to form the part of the original iconographic programme and appear to be an intrusion.
In the hall, near the northern doorway is a loose piece of a throne. It measures 0.62m by 0.44m and is 0.41m high. It is broken on the left side. This staggered throne with seven compartments has an ornamental wheel in the central compartment, elephant and lions in the side ones and yakṣa Sarvanubhuti in the right end. It must have had corresponding yakși figure on left, but this part is broken. Gupte and Mahajan have recorded another loose sculpture lying in the main verandah, but it is not in the cave at present. It bore the date of Saka 1169 (1247 CE). This sculpture was also noted by Burgess along with some other loose sculptures.
J3
This small cave is in the southern face of the pit (Fig. 15, Plate 19). It is entered by a flight of four steps with a crudely shaped hastihasta. On the ground plan it has a halfenclosed hall, an antechamber and a shrine. The hall is enclosed with kakṣāsanas, the parapet walls of which are broken. On elevation, the adhiṣṭhāna and the kakšāsanas are just outlined. Above the dwarf pillars rested on the kākṣāsanas is a kapōta with a long śālā śikhāra above. On the kapōta is an alpanasi on each side. In the centre is a flying figure on the right. On the left is a block of the rock, to be carved in similar flying figures. In the centre of the sala is large pañjaranasi with the madalas and a figure of a seated Jina within the nasi and seated yakṣa below. On the body portion of the śālā, there are four vimanapala vidyadharas.
The hall is around 5m wide. It is 2.73m deep along right and 2.53m along left. On the kakṣāsanas are two dwarf pillars and pilasters. There are pilasters on the back wall, while the corners have half-pilasters. In right sidewall of the hall is a plain cell, about 1.46m wide at the back and 0.9m at the front. It is 2.1m deep along the right and 1.6m along the left. The ceiling has aṣṭadalapadama, similar to the one in the main verandah of the main cave.
The antechamber is 1.14m wide at the back and 1.27m at the front. It is 1.46m deep along the right and 1.4m along the left. It has a makara tōraṇa, similar to that in the main cave. In the centre of this arch is a seated figure of Parsvanatha. The shrine doorway has three sakhas. The central sakha is stambha, similar to that in the shrine doorway of the main cave, while the other two śakhas are plain. There are no base figures. The kapota has roughly shaped alpanasis. Above the kapota are five compartments divided by broad plain bars. In the side compartments are figures of standing Jinas, in the central compartment is an unclear figure, while the other compartments are empty. There is no figure in the lintel. There is chandraśila in front.
The shrine is 2.7m wide at the back and 2.3m at the front. It is 1.73m deep along the right and 1.6m along the left.
