Book Title: Structural Temples of Gujarat
Author(s): Kantilal F Sompura
Publisher: Gujarat University Ahmedabad

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 545
________________ 490 The Structural Temples of Gujarat The chief in the group, faces west. It has square garbhagļiha (2.1 X 2 ms.) with a pradakşiņā •7 m. wide. The door measures 2 x 1 meter. The rectangular attached maņdapa measures 3.8 x 25 ms. with 8 pilasters supporting its flat roof. The pradaksiņā is also covered with a flat roof, while the garbhagriha has a spire over it. Adjecent to this temple, there is another square temple (21 x 2.1 ms.), facing west. These two temples4 are on the east of the Kunda. On the west there are two templess which face east and on the south there is a temple 6 facing north. All these three temples are of the same size. The temple on south is similar in plan and design to that of the small temple just described above. The temples on west are similar in plan but they differ in the architectural form of the śikhara. From the view point of the form of the spire or Sikhara the whole group is divided into two forms of superstructure. orm of the temples have spires with horizontal tiers of diminishing sizes superimposed one on the other till the apex of the spire is attained. Such tiers are numbered four each one being adorned with the Caitya-arch ornament in low relief. The apex is adorned with a heavy cogged amalaka and a finial. But the spire of one of the two temples on the east facing west is peculiar and is in greater similarity to that of one at Bilešvara, and some what pyramidal in shape (See fig. 34 ) Here it contains three gabled tiers with high reliefed Caitya arches in the centre of each tier and a replica or miniature spire at the corners. The lowest tier has three Caitya arches, the central one has two and the upper one has one such arch. Each arch has high reliefed carving of full-blossomed lotus-like design in the central nave, probably a sign of the Sun temple. The uppermost tier is adorned with an āmalaka and a finial. 4. Here Figs. 33, 34. 5. Here Figs. 33,35 6. Here Fig. 35 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868