Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 02

Author(s): Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 38

254 / Jijñāsa
34. Jain Temples of Caita
Arvind K. Singh and Navneet Kumar Jain
It is strange to note that such an important Jain temples site of Caita is not properly documented and till date remained unpublished (Willis 1996b: 31). This particular remark of the scholar enhances our curiosity to visit the site, but due to its location in the forest areas and not well-known among the general public, immaterialized for a long time. Fortunately in February 2011, late Ram Babu Jain, then manager of Sonāgir Sri Camdrabhūsaņa Bhattāraka Kothi Samsthāna told about Padma Candra Jain of Karahiyā village, who is working as the secretary of the management committee of Caita Jaina temples and often visiting the site. He generously accompanied us to the site and also provides useful information regarding the site, renovation works done time to time and the problems with other concerned aspects for which we are extremely thankful to him.
The site of Caita was first reported and its three inscriptions were imprecisely noted by Garde (1938: 11-12, 27-28). More or less the same information was repeatedly reproduced by Dwivedi (1947: 13, 100), Patil (1952:26), Willis (1996a: 7, 107) and Jain (2001: 85-86). Jain (1976: 53-54) gives the brief description of Caita and denotes it as 'manaharadeva'l on the basis of a huge Säntinātha image which has the power of enthral the human soul.
The village of Caita (25°,127, 78°, 4'.) is situated about eight kilometers in north of the nearby village Karahiya of the tahasil Bhitarvār in Gwalior District of the State of Madhya Pradesh (see location map below). As for the approach to the place, there is a metalled road to the village Karahiyā but from there onwards to the village Caita, it is under construction. The actual site is situated about one kilometer south-west from the village Caita. Around the slope of the hill, a range of the Vindhyan formation, there are seven Jaina temples standing in diverse stages of preservation while numerous scattered architectural and sculptural fragments indicate about the existence of some more temples on the site (figure 1). Below the temple, there are abundant foundations of building structure in plain areas and the fragments of bricks scattered all around indicate the possibility of existence of a large settlement nearby the Jaina temples. Due to its segregate location in the hilly and forest areas, the place was constantly targeted by smugglers and notorious persons, as in 1967 C.E. they cut the heads of 19 Jaina images. The process of destruction and theft is still continued and even they dare to break the locks of the iron grills of the temple 5 that was fixed recently for the security and safety of the temple and the artifact collected there. Only due to this reason, the image of Sāntinātha, which was originally installed in the temple 5, shifted to Sri Camdrabhūsaņa Kothi Samsthāna at Sonāgir (Dati District, Madhya Pradesh) on 30th January 1969.