Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

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

Page 841

342 : SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
(early 16th cent.) in his Tirthamālā and the inscription of 1541 in the temple attribute the authorship of the temple to Yaśodevasūri and the. date given for the erection of the temple is 908 by both the sources. The bardic tradition prefers 954. Stylistically, however, the temple does not seem to be older than the end of tenth century, or at most a couple of decades earlier than the Sun temple at Modhera, the date of which is known to be 1027.
The temple comprises a sandhara Mülaprāsāda connected with a Gūdhamaņdapa (which does not possess balconied windows) followed by the Trika. The Rangamandapa and the surrounding Devakulikās are of later age, possibly of 1541 as gleaned from an inscription.
In its elevational aspect, the temple has no pitha, a feature peculiar to the majority of Mahā-Māru temples, early or late. The elevation starts with the vedībandha which remained unaltered during later repairs; but the wall above seems to have been considerably restored. The diameter of the Mūlaprāsāda is about 9.08 M; while the garbhagsha is about 4.37 M wide. The kumbha of the vedibandha of the garbhagyha is carved with half diamonds and lotuses. A bold padmapattikā tops the wall. The treatment of the decorative motifs here is more vigorous than for the same motifs at Modhera. The doorsill shows figures of Yakşa Sarvānubhūti and Yaksi Ambikā. The upper portion of the frame has undergone repairs. The śikhara above the Mülaprāsāda is not original.
The Gūdhamandapa possesses within a double row of columns; those four of the śāla are of the ghata pallava order. The four free standing pillars of the Trika are also of the same class, all unfortunately under very thick coat of shrill colours. Compared to the size of the temple--the overall length with the Trika being 16.8 M-the columns are stunted and slender. A small, black image of a Jina in a niche in the Güdhamaņdapa may be contemporaneous with the original, older parts of the shrine.
The Jaina temples next in date at Nadlai, erected possibly a generation later, are those of the Neminātha atop the southern hill and of Pārsvanātha on the slope of the opposite hill. The Neminātha temple is a simple Latina shrine with an equally plain Gūdhamandapa attached to which is a plain Latina Devakulikā. The Pārsvanātha temple seems stylistically to be contemporaneous with the Sun temple at Modhera with no figural carving, however, to decorate its walls. A still later temple, that of Santinătha and of late eleventh century, lies some