________________
Description of Temples
143
armed lalitasana goddess Prajāapti. To her right, pattern. The slabs are decorated with half diamonds, on the pratiratha and the karņa, are Mahākāli and elongated half diamonds, creepers, kirttimukhas, dikpala Varuna, and to her left are Käli and dikpala female carrying water pot, and kayotsarga Jina. Nissti, all having four arms and represented in the The asanapatta and kaksāsana are similar to those standing attitude. The goddesses are surmounted seen in the rangamandapa. A balustrade consisting by udgamas oversecting a kirttimukha-band which is of similar asana patta and kaksäsana may also be also carried on the karņa. Above the kirttimukha- seen on its southern end. band comes a narrow fillet and then follows comparatively larger udgama oversecting another Divided into seven bays the nalamandapa con. kirttimukha-band. The devakulika is crowned by a sists of eight pillars and four pilasters. The pillars Sikhara, now plastered up, but the rathika at its base run north-south in two lines of four each. Four of is exposed and shows an image of four-armed stan
these pillars rest on the kaksāsana placed right above ding goddess Cakreśvari. There is a makara.praņāla the porch. Of the four pilasters, two are located pierced into the khura on the north end.
near the door of the devakulikās and two rest on
the kakşāsana. Across these columns run architraThe exterior wall of the central devakulika on
ves which are spanned on the same level as those the east is similar to that of the west devakulika, placed across the rangamand apa pillars. On the but here the jangha is devoid of statuary and car. architraves, on the outer side, overhangs a corruries on its top a band of intersecting garland loops. gated eave-cornice. The roof of the northern
most bay is raised up by a set of four dwarf pillars Porch
placed on the kaksāsana pillars. The kaksāsana It is approached from the ground by a double pillars and the dwarf pillars are similar to the flight of steps, each comprising four steps. Square uccălakas of the rangamandapa. Two pillars of the on plan it is enclosed by a balustrade which con nälamandapa near the southern end are of the square sists of rajasenaka, vedika, asana patta and kaksāsana, order and correspond to the square pillars of the all devoid of carvings (Fig. 63). On the asanapatta mukhamandapa, but here the framed figures at the stand two pillars and two pilasters supporting a base of the shaft include only four-armed male ceiling on a square frame of plain architraves. The dancers and musicians. Two intermediate pillars ceiling is made by cutting off the corners, compri- are like the octagonal pillars of the devakulikās. sing three tiers of nine plain slabs. The door is The pilasters are similar to those seen in the modern. The porch is overshadowed by a corru- devakulikās, but the two kaksāsana pilasters do not gated awning over which is placed a kapota.
have the base, and their capital has square brac
kets carved with diamonds. The architraves are Nalamaņdapa
similar to those noticed in the mukhamandapa. On Built over the entrance porch and a stair of the front of the northernmost bay is thrown a five steps leading from the porch to the floor of beautiful torana-arch of the cusp-tilaka variety, the rangamandapa, the nälamandapa is a square pilla- emerging from the side brackets of the kaksāsana red mandaba. if the bay right above the porch is pillar-capitals and meeting in the centre of the excluded. It is laid out on a floor higher than the architrave across the dwarf pillars. The roof of corridor of the devakulikās and is approached from this bay is provided with a corrugated eave-cornice the latter by only one step.
followed above by subsequently built battlements. On the exterior (Fig. 63) it is enclosed by a Of the seven bays the two on either side have balustrade which consists of rajasenaka, vedikā, uncarved samatala ceilings, while the other three, asanapatta and kaksasana. The rājasenaka is decora- running north-south from one end to the ted with diamond-and-double volute pattern. The have domical ceilings. The domical ceiling in vedika is divided into upright posts alternating with the northern bay, i. e, the one built over the porch, depressed slabs, Below, the post is plain, and above, is square on plan and consists of seven plain courit depicts ghatapallava, foliate scrolls and volute ses, the lowermost being octagonal and the others,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
