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68 : JAINS TODAY IN THE WORLD Emperor Asoka (III'd century BC), whose walls are extremely well polished. Bare, at first, they were later embellished with carved pillars, wall paintings and images sculpted in the rock. Inside, beds were cut for the ascetics. Cave-temples that still exist at Aihole, Badami, Udayagiri date from the Cālukya period (beginning of the Vh - end of the VI century). At Ellora, the Rästrakūța (V" - IX centuries) have cut similar caves for Buddhist and Jain monks. Other sovereigns did the same in Mysore (modern Karnataka), etc. It worth to mention that Prof. K. D. Bajpai has discovered a Jain temple of Gupta dynasty (IVh cent. AD) near Nachana District of Satna (Madhya Pradesh).
According to some historians, temples were originally built in bricks and wood. Today, not any trace of them remains, either due to their destruction by various invaders or to their decay. The oldest ones that have survived until now, built in the VII" - VIII centuries, are in stone. Between the Xith and the XIIIth centuries, their number increased greatly. Their structure also evolved, according to the region where they were erected. It was “The Golden Age" of Jainism. Later, a slowdown took place due to diverse invasions. They caused considerable destructions, damages, and conversions into other type of sanctuaries, especially in North India. Numerous Jain temples that exist today have either escaped that period of great demolition or have been built more recently. Most of them are on hilltops or in deep and isolated valleys, to allow adepts to find peace for their worship and meditation. However, some are in cities and villages for easier access by devotees. In South India, walls enclose many Jain temples to protect them from noise and agitation and to delimit the sacred area.
All these temples (mandir or basti) are built according to strict rules. Their local situation has been carefully studied and the inner and outer arrangements were carried out with a symbolism that we will see later. These more or less impressive buildings are classed in three major styles: “nāgara”, “drāvida” and “mixed”. The “nāgara" (urban or elegant) style can be found especially in the North and the North-East of India since the post-Gupta period. The “drāvida" style is more markedly present in the Southern regions where "dravidian"
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