Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

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

Page 812

SOME EARLY JAINA TEMPLES IN WESTERN INDIA : 333
landmarks perfectly bolstering the concept of the aforementioned two archetypal styles and the third style that resulted by their mating. The Anadakarana temple in the heart of the town represents the MahāMāru style of the mid-tenth century but still at its virginal purity; the Navalakhā Pārsvanātha temple has a Mülaprāsāda that follows MahāGurjara style but the Gūdhamandapa, curiously, is expressive of the Mahā-Māru style; and finally the Someśvara temple, of late eleventh century, is a representative of the full-fledged Māru-Gurjara style. Our immediate concern is of course with the Navalakhă temple to which now we shall turn.
The Navalakhā Pārsvanātha temple was originally dedicated to Jina Mahāvīra since referred to as Viranātha mahā-caitya and Mahāvira caitya in the inscriptions of 1122 and 1145 respectively. The oldest inscriptions on the image-pedestals within this temple are datable to 1088 and 1095 respectively.580
The temple comprises a Mülaprāsāda, Gūdhamandapa, Rangamandapa and the Devakulikās surrounding the major part of the temple-premise. The Devakulikās are not integrated with the Rangamandapa. They, together with the latter structure and the sikhara of the Mülaprāsāda, were added or replaced in 1629 when the previous cult image was substituted for that of the Pārsvanātha; our interest is, albeit, centred around the older portions only.
The Mülaprāsāda is tri anga on plan with karņa, pratiratha, and bhadra in the proportion of 1:0.75:2 respectively. The original diameter, inclusive of the patha now hidden below a recently built platform, could, seemingly, be 6 M. The topmost part of the pitha exposed above the mask of the platform is a slanting cippikā such as known at Trinetreśvara temple at Than. The vedibandha of the wall, strangely enough, does not possess the usual antarapatra. The kumbha reveals interesting decorations; powerfully rendered, fully blown half lotus on the karņa faces,59 hamsa yugma as well as kinnara yugma on the pratiratha faces, 60 and śūrasenaka at the bhadras.61 The kapotapali is ornamented with
58a BHANDARKAR (1908), p. 45. 59 As found on the kumbha of the Devakulikā No. 5 in Mahāvīra
temple group at Osia. This one, from Navalakhā, has a little earlier look. Such decorations are known at the identical positions at Ambikā
temple at Jagat and Siva temple, Kotai. 61 This is a Mahā-Māru feature.
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