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

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Page 258
________________ Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India 232 J28 J28 consisted of figures of Hanumān, Kshetrapala and a seated Jina, carved on the rockface near J29. These figures have now disappeared. J29 It is a small open structure enclosing a chaumukha above the cave, J30 (Plate 171). It is reached by a flight of steps on each side of J30. It has two pillars supporting a roof and low wall on the sides and at front, while there is a rock-face at the back. There is a small opening in the front wall. The pillars are very crude. The structure is around 1.65m by 1.75m and about 1.75m high. There is a niche with a pointed top in the back wall. It has a throne, similar to that of Parsvanatha in J27. There must have been a loose icon placed on this throne. The chaumukha is 0.62m to 0.69m wide and about 0.8m high. On each face is seated Jina, placed within two pilasters. Each is seated in padmāsana on a throne similar to that of Parsvanātha in J27 with a single chhatra above the head. On top of the chaumukha is a padma. J30 It has a raised court, a hall and a shrine (Fig. 71). There are two large elaphants flanking the cave, in profile and facing each other (Plate 172). These are not completely relieved from the rock behind and have a few figures between two pairs of legs. The court is around 6.8m by 2.7m and is raised to the height of around 0.7m. There is a bench flanking the hall doorway. The hall is at a higher level than the court. It has a plain door and two windows. The hall is around 5.2m wide and 4m to 3.7m deep. The ceiling is about 2.4m to 2.55m high. There is a bench running along all sides of the hall, even in front of the shrine, though the height of the bench is not uniform. In the middle of the hall, there are four pillars with corresponding pilasters on the walls. The pillars at the back are very close to the back wall. The pillar has a square base on which, the shaft rises in square and octagonal portions and two ghata-shaped members. The pilaster has a plain square shaft with square, two-armed brackets. The pilaster on the front wall, to the right of hall doorway is similar to the pillars, but the upper ghata-shaped member is turned into a pürnaghata. There are stone beams on the ceiling between the pillars. The floor between the pillars is slightly raised. There is a lotus on the ceiling. There are seven niches in the walls of the hall. There is a deep niche in the centre of each sidewall, two niches in the left sidewall, two niches in the backwall, flanking the shrine doorway, and another in the front wall, to the left of the hall doorway. The larger niche in the right sidewall is about 2m wide and 1.45m deep, while the niche in the left sidewall is 1.7m wide and 1.2m deep. Each of these niches has a throne with rounded throne back and a pilaster on each side of the throne back. The niche in right sidewall has two thrones and throne backs. These thrones are similar to those in J27, but here the elephants are shown fully and are in profile. The pilaster on the throne back has four,

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