Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

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

Page 844

SOME EARLY JAINA TEMPLES IN WESTERN INDIA : 345
The śikhara of the Mülaprāsāda is a seventeenth century reconstruction. The Gūdhamandapa has lost its external covering since long ago. The Trika and the attendant shrines with Valānaka are of little interest. Judging from the size and ornateness of the Main Temple, it is not unlikely that a Cahamána prince could have his hands in its founding.
VIJI PĀRSVANATHA TEMPLE, SADRI
Sadri is a midway station for the pilgrims and tourists proceeding to the world-famous Ranakpur. Very few, however, are aware of the wonderful little shrine of Pārsvanatha located in the town. It is difficult to comprehend how BHANDARKAR missed this temple.
• This splendid temple is almost a smaller replica of the Padmaprabha temple at Nadol and built likewise of Sonana stone of white, dry complexion. On plan it is tri anga with the usual bhadra, karna and pratiratha proliferations. Unlike the Nadol temple, however, the pitha omits the upper, figural courses. An udgama is found on bhadra points on the jād yakumbha as in Nadol temples and the Pārsvanātha temple at Sanderav. This feature is absent in the contemporary temples in Gujarat. It is a legacy of the Mahā-Māru tradition preserved by the Māru-Gurjara temples in this tract of Rajasthan. The jangha of the mandovara of the temple displays as usual the Dikpālas and apsarases (Fig. 20). The sikhara above the Mülaprāsāda (Fig. 21) is a masterpiece of the Māru-Gurjara style and except for the stunted pitha, the Mülaprāsāda with its śikhara reveals extremely good proportions, beauty of form and excellence of details. The rathikä on the east shelters an image of Vägdevi: that on the west, Vidyādevi Mahāmānasi. The diameter of the Múlaprāsāda is about 6.1 M.
The superbly proportioned Gūdhamandapa thoroughly harmonizes with the Mülaprāsāda despite the fact that the superstructure is missing. On the janghā, at all karna faces, deep sunk niches sheltering Yaksis and Vidyadevis are there as we saw at the Padmaprabha temple at Nadol. The Vidyādevis figure on pratirathas as well; while apsarases and Dikpālas here occupy subsidiary positions. On the east wall of the Gūdhamaņdapa are found Apraticakrā, Nirvăņi, Mahākālī, Mahamānasi, Vairotyā, Rohini, and Vajrankuśā. Those on the corresponding west face are Vairotyä, Kāli (?), Vajrārkuśi, Puruşadattā, an unidentified goddess, Rohini, and Kāli. The bhadra niches are vacant. The width of the Gūdhamandapa is 7.92 M approximately. The Trika has no special feature to detain us. The Rangamandapa is in the Ranakpur