Book Title: Temples of Kumbhariya
Author(s): M A Dhaky, U S Moorty
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Page 107
________________ Description of Temples The pair of identical lateral ceilings (Plate 90) flanking the last-noted one are of the Nabhicchanda class with a central elegantly formed padmakesara showing delicately rendered double layered petals. Each of the four vikarnas, in this instance, are filled with a pair of kinnara figures. The lintels supporting these ceilings show looped birds in series, the tantraka displaying flat diamonds, the faces of the sur-lintel have ardhapadmas in hemicycles. 67 The rangamandapa (Plates 91, 92, 94) uses the two central columns of the şaţcatuşkī as its rear south bhadra columns. The pairs at the eastern and western bhadras are relatively plain polymorphic (Plate 92), those at the eastern bhadra carry an andola-torana (Plate 93), the front (north) bhadra pair of columns is more fully ornamented (Plate 94). The śālā of the rangamandapa is even more rectangular along its north-south axis than is the case with the Mahāvīra temple parallel; hence the crescent-shaped soffits left out at those two ends, while constructing the central ceiling above, had to be filled with even larger and more prominently rendered urmivelā/kalpavalli (Plates 95, 98, 99, 100). The lintels supporting the central Sabhāmandāraka ceiling, of about 14 ft. 3 in. in diameter, show kalpavalli at the lower section and the tiresomely plain diamonds on the tantraka faces. The ceiling (Plates 96, 97, 101) starts with a belt bearing niched divinity figures followed by a karṇadardarikā, next the rupakantha with plain diamonds in series and at intervals bearing 16 vidyadhara-brackets (Plate 97), and then comes a single gajatālu course. Next in sequence are two consecutive courses of single kolas in series and closely following them are two of quadruple gajatälus. And finally, from the apexial area starts a prolonged three kolaja lambana (Plates 102-104) ending with a thin and long padmakesara showing a surround of dancing figures above the terminal bud. The six bays which connect the rangamandapa with the paṭṭaśālā on the western, and the same number at the eastern side are covered by Samatala ceilings (Plates 105-116) largely reminiscent of those in the Mahāvīra temple though somewhat inferior in quality. They, as in the previous case, depict narratives related to the lives of the tirthankaras, etc. The sixth one on the west side (Plate 116) is significant in that, in its central rectangular box it depicts Gomukha and Cakreśvarī who are the attendant Yakṣa and Yakṣi of Jina Adideva Rṣabha to whom this temple originally was dedicated. The eastern side's second bay has a ceiling showing a Kamala-yantra (Plate 119)-magical diagram where the 16 petals of the lotus bear figures of the Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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