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

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Page 182
________________ Description of Temples karnika, three padmas, and a figural band of musicians and dancers. The udumbara shows a semicircular projection, now covered with marble slabs, in the centre, a projecting kirttimukha of recent date on each side of it, and a sculptured niche on either extremity. The two niches in the southern porch depict Yakşa Brahmasanti on proper right and a Yaksi on proper left, and those in the northern porch represent only the images of Yaksis, all having four arms and sitting in the lalita-pose. The uttaranga continues the decorations of the first three Sakhas but is surmounted by a projecting cornice, the intrados of which shows incision of lotus petals and a band of diamonds and beads on its outer edge. On the lalața is depicted a padmasana Jina in dhyanamudra. The overdoor displays nine projecting niches containing images of four-armed standing goddesses. The interior arrangement of the guḍhamandapa as explained by Burgess is as follows: "if we place, one across the other, two parallelograms each of whose dimensions are three and two and divide longer side of each into three-then eight corners and these points of division give sixteen points of support to the roof. In this case the parallelograms are 39'.9" by 24'.6" and the distance between the middle pillars on each flank of the octagon is 12.3" and between its corners 8',8" from centre to Jain Education International centre. The outer corners of the parallelograms are all occupied by attached pillars except the two towards the shrine and behind them are four others symmetrically arranged, with an arch inserted between the middle pair. Close behind the last stand other four connecting the screen that shuts off the shrine."96 The eastern door of the gudhamandapa is partly concealed by two later built piers connected by an arch of the Muhammadan style. What is exposed of it shows a patrasakha decorated with foliate scrolls, a haṁsaśākhā and a stambhatakha. The stambhalakha has three facets, one on the front and one on each side. The inner facet of the stambha-nted fakha bears an image of kayotsarga Jina below and five successive niches containing images of lalitasana goddesses above. Below, on the front facet, is represented a standing goddess, now mutilated, and above are seen five lalitäsana goddesses. On either extremity of the udumbara is a sculptured niche containing an image of four-armed lalitasana goddess. The uttaranga repeats the decorations of the patraSakha and the hamsasakha and is surmounted by a projecting cornice of the similar variety as we find in the lateral porches. The overdoor depicts five lalitásana goddesses in niches. 165 In total there are eighteen free standing pillars. Ten of these stand in the antarala and eight are arranged in an octagon, dividing thus the entire area of the gudhamandapa in the central nave and the surrounding aisle. All these pillars are of the octagonal type and correspond to those noticed in the lateral porches, but here the chequer-band on sixteen-sided section of the shaft is absent and the side brackets of the capital are formed of makara heads. The eight nave pillars are provided with uccalakas, which consist of only two members, namely shaft and capital. The shaft is circular and carries similar decorative bands as we find on that of the lateral porches. The capital has a double-course round fluted bharani of karnika and padma, surmou by four-armed double-roll brackets bearing figures of half kirttimukhas on their side faces. Emerging from and supported by the capitals surmounting the pillars proper are the charming bracket figures of Apsaras tenoned into the capitals of the uccalakas. The Apsaras are represented carrying knife, beating drums, securing their lower garment, making dance, or looking in mirror. Between the side brackets are inserted later built arches. The nave is covered by a carved domical ceiling (Fig. 81) supported on an octagonal frame of architraves put across the pillars. The architraves are divided into three fasciae, the lower showing representation of foliate scrolls which issue from the mouth of a kirttimukha carved in the centre, the intermediate fascia depicting intersecting garland loops and foliage, and the upper representing rosettemarked diamonds. In the centre of their underside is carved in bas-relief a lotus medallion. The domical ceiling is of the sabhapadmamandāraka order and is composed of ten courses and a circular short padmafila. The lowermost course is sixteen-sided and the rest are circular. The first course is decorated For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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