Jaina Temples of West Bengal

Author(s): D R Das
Publisher: Z_Nirgrantha_1_022701.pdf and Nirgrantha_2_022702.pdf and Nirgrantha_3_022703.pdf

Page 17

Vol. III, 1997-2002
Jaina Temples of....
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mounds nearby31 At the time of Bloch's visit only some stone pillars and two Tirthařkara images were lying among the debris of the temple 32. Jaina temples seem once to have existed also at Pabanpur, Arsha, and Anai-Jambad in the Purulia District33 While undertaking a survey of the Jaina antiquities in a limited area in the Bankura District, Mitra came across the remains of Jaina temples at Kendua, Barkola, and Pareshnath. The temple near Kendua was made of stone and probably dedicated to Pārsvanātha, whose image was found to be lying near it. The ruined temple at Barkola was brick-built. Three Jaina images were discovered from its ruins. At Pareshnath, the temple was made of sandstone. On its plinth, which happens to be the only extant part of the temple, a damaged image of Pārsvanātha was found. The religious affiliation of the Jaina temples in Bengal is not expressed through their architectural features. It is, therefore, not possible to assert that Bengal developed anything like a Jaina temple architecture. These temples belong to what the Bhuvanapradipa, an Orissan text on temple architecture, describes as the rekha type 35 The temple at Balihati, however, constitutes a class by itself. All of them are either triratha or pañcaratha. When triratha, the raha and the kanika stand in the ratio of 1 : 1 or 1.5 : 1. In the pañcaratha temples, this uniformity is lacking. On the other hand, the ratio of the length of the garbhagrha and the wall-thickness is, irrespective of the number of rathas on plan, 2. to 1. For laying out the plan of a temple, a paved floor or a very low platform was made. In elevation the temple was divided into three principal parts, namely bada, jangha, and mastaka. The bada was subdivided into pābhāga, jangha and baranda. The pābhāga was demarcated either by a set of four mouldings or a plain dado. The types of moulding employed in the pābhāga were confined to khurā, pata, and kumbha. In the jangha the rāhā usually contained a niche resembling a miniature shrine. Occasionally, tall and slender pilasters appeared on the kanika. The baranda was of two types. In the one, it was composed of a kanti between two mouldings. In the other, it had khurā, pata and kanti. The gandi was a curvilinear structure with or without the bhumi divisions. The curvature of the gandi, in some instances, was not emphatic in its lower part. As a result, the gandi appeared to rise perpendicularly like a chimney shaft. The mastaka, its aspect wherever preserved, shows a large and flattish āmalaka supported by a beki. It may be assumed that a kalaśa was placed on the amalaka. Sometimes, the body of the temple was plastered with a layer of stucco. Apparently decorative designs were cut (or painted ?) on this plaster. In the interior, the garbhagyha was provided with double ceiling, namely garbhamuda and ratnamuda. The garbhamuda never rested directly on the perpendicular wall section of the sanctum cella but appeared some way up the corbelled inside of the superstructure. The gamā was another common feature to be found on the passageway.