YJA Convention 1996 07 San Francisco CA Second

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 58

many murtis as they could in a hidden underground basement. But during one such invasion, during the mogul raja, some murtis were taken while others were destroyed because not all of them could be hidden. To this day, there is still murtis in the basement and in other storage rooms that were hidden from invaders.
Dilwara (Abu) Temple Site
The renowned Jain sanctuaries of Mount Abu in Rajastan, for generations among the favorite tourist attractions in all of India, are among the architectural wonders or curiosities of the world. The site of Dilwara temple was built in the tenth century and was later added to in the thirteenth century under a minister in the Vastupal Tejpal.
These temples were created out of marble brought up from the valley bellow their mountainside seat. Parshwanthbagwan murti is in the main temple. This temple was left untouched by not only its remote location but also because of the tourist attraction (mainly during British rule).
Although the exterior of the temple is in no way distinguished, the interior of the pillared halls reveals a dome rising in many concentric circles supported on a circular arcade of dwarf pillars joined by cusped arches. The dome culminates in a richly carved pendant, like a stalactite hung in the center of a vault. As Benjamin Rowland stated in his The Art and Architecture of India, 'Looking up at this ceiling is to behold a dreamlike vision looming, in the half-light, like some marvelous underwater formation in coral and mother-of-pearl.
Shravnabelgola Temple Site
Another temple where the creator is unknown while his creation remains. This temple is dedicated to Bhahobali. Bhahobali, the son of Rushabdevbagwan achieved moksha as well. He is a Siddha. At this temple site, which is a Digamber temple, the giant statue of Bhahobali. The story of Bhahobali, which plays an intricate part in the temple goes like this: Rushabdev, King of the world, left all of his possessions behind to meditate on his soul, his two sons Bhahobali, the elder, and Bharat, the younger, wanted his kingdom. As the story of two brothers usually goes, they could not agree on how to split it and so went to war. During the war, the two brothers came face-to-face and at this time Bhahobali, the stronger of the two, raised his fist to strike Bharat. At this time, he realized his errors and saw the destruction he and his brother had wrought. As well as the violence that was about to make him strike his brother. At that instant, he forsook everything and went into the jungle to meditate. He stood in one place, the temple site, until he reached Kevalgnana (Omniscience).
Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit Temple Sites
While the ancient temple sites are all well and good, we should also look at some more modern temple sites. While Pittsburgh is a temple of both Hindu and Jain origins, Chicago and eventually Detroit are both of Jain only origins. This temples give us insight into the problems faced by many communities because of money, community size, and location. While we bring up these problems, we do so only to point out what
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Jain Education Intemational