Book Title: Jaina Temples of Western India
Author(s): Harihar Singh
Publisher: P V Research Institute Varanasi

Previous | Next

Page 136
________________ Description of Temples either end, and the space in between them is filled with niched lalitisans goddesses alternating with images of kayotsarga Jinas. The execution of the entire door is crude. It stands apart from the other doors of the temple and appears to be added later. The corridor between the lateral doors of the gudhamandapa and the outer entrances is covered with samatala vitanas, and its roof towards the court or southern side has a corrugated eave-cornice. Two of the ceilings located near the eastern entrance are relieved with an open lotus flower having three rows of petals and a pistil. The flower is set up in a border of diamomds and beads and is flanked on the two sides by a foliate scroll-band. The other ceilings are uncarved. Near the western entrance is a stone slab depicting the mothers of 24 Tirthankaras. A similar panel has already been noticed in the balaṇaka. Near the eastern entrance of the temple is laid out a small chapel with a samvaraṇā roof. It is entered from all the four sides, but the eastern entrance has been closed now. The southern entrance is approached through a porch which has similar pillars, pilasters and ceiling as are noticed in the western porch. In fornt of the door is a moonstone which is similar to that seen in the devakulikäs. The doors are like that found in the northern porch, but the jamb here is also flanked by a band of diamonds and beads, and the lalața bimba depicts an image of Cakreśvari. The samva rana is composed of seven successive tiers of kitas and is surmounted on the top by a fluted bell with kalata and bijapuraka. At the base of the samvarana, in each cardinal point, is a double-course udgama pediment. Inside the chapel is a solid structure in yellow marble of Samavasarana scene. Circular in shape and consisting of three fortifications shown one above the other, it rests on a moulded pedestal and is surmounted by a quadruple (the images of Jinas having disappeared) placed under a miniat ure shrine. Outside the eastern enternace of this chapel is a beautiful loose torana bearing an inscription of 1166 A. D. There are some modern cells built against the western wall of the prakara. These are now used as godown, Jain Education International 119 SANTINĀTHA TEMPLE Situated to the north of the Mahavira temple, the temple of Santinatha is a complete Caturviṁsati Jinalaya. The plan and the general arrangement of this temple are similar to the Mahavira temple, but here the balaṇaka is absent, and the niches on the front of the rangamandapa are eight in number and they are screened by a double arcade of pillars. Mūlaprāsāda It is tryanga on plan consisting of bhadra, pratiratha and karna, the bhadra being the longest and the pratiratha the shortest. The pitha consists of a bhiṭṭa, jaḍyakumbha, karnika and paṭṭikā. The vedibandha comprises khura, kumbha, kalasa, antarapatra, and kapota decorated with caitya-arch ornament. The jangha, divided into two registers by a plain band and also surmounted by a similar band, is plain, except for sculptured niches containing images of dhyanamudra on the bhadras. padmasana Jinas in The varaṇḍikā consists of two kapotas and a ribbed eave-cornice. The mandovara has considerably suffered from restoration and the bhadra niches containing Jinas are all modern. There is a praṇāla pierced into the khura on the east side, but the pranala member has disappeared. The fikhara (Figs. 36-37), rising from a prahāra made up of a recessed fillet and a padma, reveals a tryanga malamanjari marked by seven bhumi-ōmalakas, an uromañjarī and a rathika along each bhadra, one triga over each pratiratha, and two Srigas (one big and one small) over each karna. The angas of the mulamanjari terminate at the skandha which is indicated by a plain band, but the bhadras extend to the griva which is crowned by a large amalaka clasped by fillet, a candrika, a smaller amalaka, a kalasa and a bijapuraka. The dhvajapatākā is modern but the dhvajadhara seems to be old. The uromajaris are but the replica of the mūlamañjarī, but they are divided only into five stages of bhūmiamalakas. The frigas are also similar to the mulamanjari, but they are marked by five bhimi-amalakas and bear only one amalaka as their crowning member. Between the frigas are placed gajamundas. The entire Sikhara is covered by a fret-work of complicated caitya-arch pattern. The rathikās, Blanked on each side by an incipient balcony model For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362