Book Title: Jaina Rock Cut Caves In Western India Part 01
Author(s): Viraj Shah
Publisher: Agam Kala Prakashan

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Page 195
________________ 169 Description and Chronology of Caves holding fruits are seated in Vāmalalitasana and are flanked by attendants. On the eastern face of the shaft of the southeastern pillar is a rather large figure of a female standing with a pitcher in the left hand held near the shoulder. There is a lotus with four concentric rows of petals on the ceiling. The lotus is placed in a square with a kirtimukha in each corner. The doorway leading to the shrine is ornate, though less elaborate than the hall doorway. It has five sakhās of vyala, valli, stambha, rupa and ratna. The stambha śākhā has karnikā moulding with a triangular plate, octagonal portion carved with petals, octagonal portion, round portion with a band in the middle, pūrnaghata, round portion with mouldings and triangular plate, two karnikā mouldings and purnaghata. The rupa śākha has figures of garland bearers. The figures on the pedyā are mostly of males with hands in abhaya or varada, or holding flower or fruit and standing in abahnaga or crosslegged. Only the figure on the left jamb of the innermost śakha is of a female holding a ghata near shoulder. All the figures are fully decked. Above the head of each figure is a circle formed by creeper and filled in with a flower, while above the figure on the stambha sakha are two circles surmounted by a kirtimukha. Below each figure on the pedyā is another figure, which in the case of the stambha sakha appears to be twoarmed or four-armed male deity seated in loose posture of padmāsana holding some indistinct objects. On the uttaranga are three pieces of khura type moulding and two compartments, with a lozenge in each. The lintel has three compartments with lozenge in the central compartment and half lozenge in the side ones. The mandaraka is decorated with flowers and is flanked by kirtimukhas. The door fittings are in the form of a rectangular groove on the sidewalls of the doorway, one on each side near the ceiling and the floor. The shrine is 3.25m wide along the back and 3m wide along the front. It is 3.38m deep. The ceiling is 2.47m high. The shrine is plain and empty. Upper Storey On the right sidewall of the hall is a small room with a staircase leading up to the upper storey of the cave. This room is 1.62m by 1.25m. In the back wall of this room was a plain room, which is now closed. It is 3.75m wide along the back and 3m wide along the front. It is 3.5m deep on the right and 2.25m deep on the left. The purpose of this excavation is difficult to determine, but it could have been a secret room to hide the icons in case of emergency. A stairway of eight steps leads up to a room, which has two openings. One opening leads to the hall, while the other opening leads to the verandah. The opening to the hall is 1.37m by 0.83 with door fittings in the form of rectangular grooves, while the opening to the verandah is 1.06m by 0.79m. The verandah is 7.25m wide and 2.25m deep on right and 2m on left, while the ceiling is 1.83m high. It is enclosed in front by around 0.4m high wall with an opening in the middle. Flanking the opening is a pillar at the end of low wall. It has a square base and octagonal shaft with thin round portion in the middle. The shaft is sourmounted by a kalaśa with very thick rim, a tāți with a median band and slightly curved and plain

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