Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 805

326 : SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
north face (confronting the town) of the Valānaka may be semi-open as its south face is. He closed it and caused the niches to be built in the wall so formed. A generation later, Devakulikā No. 5 was erected and shunted to its eastern walling. It now followed the Mahā-Gurjara style with a few features of late Mahā-Māru, such as the jala of the śikhara. The pitha, the janghã with vyālas, are all after the Mahā. Gurjara tradition. During the late tenth century, Mahā-Gurjara style had crossed its traditional frontiers and entered into Marumandala via, perhaps, Pali to which we shall refer later. In fact in this Devakulikā, the two styles meet but Mahā-Gurjara tends to dominate. At the next stage, in 1018, the Torana was set up. It is precisely at this time that the present śikhara of the Mūlaprāsāda of the Main Temple was built, and Devakulikā No. 1 and, soon after, No. 2 (confronting each other) were erected. The figural carving on the Toraņa and that on the latter Devakulikās, particularly No. 1 closely agree. The style of all these structures is what we should call the early Māru-Gurjara, the more perfect example of which is Devakulikā No. 3 erected possibly a decade hence. The Devakulikā No. 4 was to be added as late, perhaps, as the end of eleventh century as suggested by its coarse carving when the Bhramantikā was extended along east and west with its two embedded Devakulis (Nos. 7 and 8). At this time or perhaps a little later, the central twelve original pillars of the Valānaka were replaced by eight new ones in a different style for supporting a new great ceiling of the typical Māru-Gurjara tradition. The extensions of the Valánaka were also made during this time. The history of the temple thus covers three centuries of building activities.
The contribution of this Osian complex to the study of Jaina art and architecture is significant as its initial landmark as well as for the wealth of information and artistry it reveals. The Main Temple, a fine piece of Mahā-Māru architecture, reveals the oldest example of Jaina kind of Trika or mukhamandapa (chacauki). Its rich treasures of Jaina iconography are the earliest so far known in the context of temple decorations. The Devakulikās themselves are little masterpieces of architecture and demonstrate a further development of the Western style in the making; at the same time they are illustrative of progress made in Jaina iconography. The fact that they were absent in the eighth century and that they are fewer in number and placed discretelynot in coalescence-may indicate that the Jaina way of temple planning was unknown in eighth century and was not effected even in the early eleventh century since inconsistent with the original plan. The