Jainism in Rajasthan

Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

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JAINISA IN RAŠASTEAN
The most beautiful Jaina temple at Bikaner is the temple Neminātha. It has a shrine surmounted by a high sikhara. There as clegantly carved āmalaka and kalaša over the Šikhara. It has a closed mandat with latcral doors and an open ardhamandapa accessible from three sides. It: richly decorated with various motifs. Their sıkhara is decorated with eigh beautiful strings. The cntrance of the shrine is beautifully carved. Th lintel is decorated with several friezes, a cornice and a set of fine half engage niches enclosing divine images. The bottom of the door jambs is protecte by dvārapūlas attended by minor godlings. The roof is supported by bracket decoratcd with dancing apsarās. Other motifs such as scidls, creeper spina: the diamond lozenge and the use of four and eight petalled star flower wer used for ornamentation.
UNDERGROUND TEMPLES: The underground temples also bega: to be built for the protection of the images against the iconoclastic activitie of the Muslims. Such a temple was built and images were placed in it ; Chandakhedi in the princely state of Kotah by Kțisbộadāsa, a Bagheraval merchant, in 1689 A.D., duuing Aurangzeb's reign. There was a danger c its destruction, therefore, it was built in an unique form. The main templ is underground and the entrance to it is through a narrow passage. No arrangement was made for admitting light in it. Above it there is another temple but the image placed in it has not been installed according to the Sāstric injunctions. Apparently it seems to be a temple if not a shrine. But the objcct of its construction was to protect the underground temple from the Muslim destruction. Such an underground portion is also found in some other Jaina temples at different places. The main aim was to place the images in them for protection from the Muslim iconoclasm if such a situation arose.
MODERN JAINA ARCHITECTURE: After the decline of the Mughal when law-and-order was established during British period, Jaina temple:
gain began to appear. They were constructed mostly on the model of de Jaina temples. The fcatures were the old dome, śikhara, pillars and also th other motifs for the decoration. Though the style of these new Jaina temn!': is rich and ornate, it has lost much of its original purity and s
1, Kota Riya Ka Itihūsa, p. 219.