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152
The Temples in Kumbhariya
162. Set in an octagon, the designer of this ceiling has omitted the gajatālu and
straightaway started with kola courses, three in number, culminated in the centre by a dvi-kola lambana of the type noticed in the preceding example.
The omission of the vital details such as the carving of petals etcetera along the borders of kolas, lūmās, and lambanas, impart a ceiling rather dry appearance. But this became the characteristic style for the ceilings, apparently of the Candrăvati school, which was then fashionable and continued to be in vogue till the 15th century in Abu area and further northeastwards, in fact as far as Jälor, Varkānā, and Rāṇakpur.
163.
The floor of the mukhālinda before the rangamandapa, at its centre, displays this symbol of rotating svastika framed in manipattikā as previously met with in the śāntinātha temple.
164.
At the north end is situated the nāla-tunnel and above it the balānaka-hall, both piercing through the middle section of the northern pattaśālā.
165.
The western bhadraprāsāda, as seen from outside, is a well-formed small temple with almost the full compliment of basic components: mouldings, figures on the janghā, and of course the well-shaped śikhara complete with jāla decoration.
166.
The view of the same bhadraprāsāda after the recent building of the sikharas that were earlier not there on the adjoining and other devakulikās.
The Neminātha Temple
167. Entering now the largest temple, that of Jina Neminātha, and looking into the
mukhacatuṣki part of the balānaka from south, the eyes meet with a nicely formed torana. In Kumbhāriyā, the only type of torana one encounters is of
the āndola or 'wave' category. 168- The collective view of the ceilings of the balānaka area. They are not of much 169. consequence either from the standpoint of typological studies or art proper. 170. The Nābhimandāraka ceiling above the pierced pattaśālā at the north. The
central kola and the lambana part are refined and finicky. The vikarnas show pair of elephants and the soffit of the two surlintels (the latter introduced to ensure square field in the otherwise rectangular area) display a row of full-blown water-nymphs.
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