Jaina Rock Cut Caves In Western India Part 01

Author(s): Viraj Shah
Publisher: Agam Kala Prakashan

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Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India On the back wall is carved a seated figure of Parávanātha, almost covering the whole wall.
Central shrine: It is slightly projected in the hall. The doorway leading to this shrine is 1.93m by 1.86m and is quite ornamental (Fig. 8c). It has a plain architrave above the door supported by a pilaster on each side. The pilaster has a round shaft with a square portion in the middle and a round portion in the upper part of the shaft. Above the shaft are three kani mouldings and rounded capital. There is a plain square sakhā on the inner side of the pilaster. The lintel is plain. In front is a chandrašila. The door fittings are in the form of two grooves in the ceiling. There is a step inside the shrine to climb down. Flanking the doorway is a standing figure of Jina.
The shrine is 2.4m wide at the back and 2.1m in the front. It is 2.1m deep on the right and 2.23m deep on the left. The ceiling is 1.97m high. Here also a seated figure of Parsvanatha is carved, almost covering the entire wall.
Left shrine It is 2.7m by 2.4m. The ceiling is about 1.97m high. The doorway leading to the shrine is 1 54m by 1.23m. It has two plain sakhas. The door fittings and shrine image are as in the central shrine. A loose chaumukha lies inside the shrine.
Sculptures
All the shrines, except the shrine of the right excavation, have seated figure of Parsvanatha carved on the back walls. None of the images are well preserved as the rock has weathered a lot. Among other images carved in situ are, standing Jinas flanking the central shrine, a panel of 13 small seated Jinas on the right sidewall of the hall and a standing female carved on the back wall of the recess in the back wall of hall, all in the main excavation. There is a loose chaumukha in the left shrine of the main excavation (Fig. 8a).
1. Seated Parsvanatha: 1.63m by 1.7m. On the back wall of the right shrine of the main excavation is carved the image of a seated Parsvanatha. The icon covers the entire height of the back wall. The hands and legs of Parsvanatha, and chauri bearers below the stomach are damaged. He sits on a throne. The figure of Parsvanatha measures 0.85m by 0.9m. As the lower part of the icon is damaged, it is difficult to make out whether he is seated in padmāsana or an ardhapadmasana. Above his head is seven-hooded snake.
The throne is 0.97m long, 0.23m wide and 0.4m high. It is partly destroyed, but seems to have three compartments. The side ones has a lion each. The lion's body is in profile, with the head turned to the front. The middle compartment has a wheel, though only a trace of it remains.
Parsvanātha is flanked by chauri bearers, each of which stands in tribhanga, holding a chauri in the hand, kept on the shoulder. Each figure measures 0.96m by 0.4m. They stand at the floor level and almost reach the ceiling of the shrine. They are slightly turned to Parsvanatha. Only the crowns on the heads are clear. Other ornaments have eroded away