|
THE JAIN TEMPLES OF DELWARAA
Overall plan of the temples
The Jain
temples of Delwara are located a few kilometers away from the downtown, in
a valley; they are barely visible from a distance since their domes and
little pyramids hardly protrude above the boundary wall.
The Vimal Vasahi or Vimal Shah
Temple
The
Vimal Shah temple was begun in 1031AD.The shrine masons’ guild of
Badnagar in Gujarat was responsible for drawing up the plan; their
architect, Kirthidhar, took fourteen years to complete this marvel with
the help of twelve hundred laborers and fifteen hundred stone masons. The
marble was brought from the Arasoori hills near Ambaji. It was transported
on the back of elephants over a distance of approximately thirty to forty
kilometers. One hundred and eighty million rupees are said to have been
spent on the construction of the temple, including the price of the land.
The Tejpal and the Luna Vasahi Temple
The Luna Vasahi Temple is situated a little above the Vimal Shah Temple. Two
brothers, Tejpal and Vastupal, who have gone down in the Indian
architectural history as the greatest builders of all times, constructed
this temple. They were the ministers of King Viradhavala. They constructed
many more temples of which only the Neminath Temple of Girnar still
remains. The Solankis constructed the Luna Vasahi Temple in 1231 AD; the
brothers were closely involved in this project. Stylically, however, the
Luna Temple is similar to that of the Vimala Shah Temple.
The ranga-mandapa
The
dance pavilion was constructed between 1147-1149 AD and is the most
exquisite structure in the temple complex. Since the interior had to be
free of supporting pillars, it could not be surmounted with a shikhara
tower. Instead, a wide vaulted dome with a diameter of 6.60 m covered the
hall. This is the largest extant example of the style of a construction
during the Solanki period. It is open from three sides. Consequently, it
is brightly sunlit. Its eight pillars, forming an octagon, are lavishly
embellished with floral, geometrical and figural motifs and they are
linked to one another with the elaborately scalloped and intricately
carved arches. The architecture on the whole give the impression of a
precious ivory carving with
intricate relief-work in which solid wall structures seem to melt in favor
of the play of light and shade.
The Sanctum
The
tourist cannot proceed beyond his point. However, from here, though the
gudha mandapa, the sanctum sanctorum and the bright statue of the first
Tirthankara is visible. The entrance to the calla is flanked by two
standing Parsva statues standing erect and by the reliefs of monks and
nuns. The idol of Andinath or Rishabhanath is deliberately made to appear
impersonal and not
human; Tirthankars are carved preferably in alabaster or in any
translucent stone in order to indicate the spirituality of a body, which
has been liberated from al earthly shackles and is thus no longer a part
of this world.
The Ambulatory
Fifty-two
deva kulikas i.e. subsidiary shrines have been arranged on an elevated
platform around the central edifice, each with the statue of a Tirthankara;
these date back to different periods, some much later than the others. The
holy figures of fifty-two symbolize, for the Jains, the four eternal
Tirthankaras and in addition to them, the twenty-four belonging to the
past and present eons. Beside these, some larger cells have been added in
the southwest. On three sided the deva kulikas preceded by double columned
halls with a single colonnade only on the west.
Hasti Shala
Elephants were used to carry marble from Ambaji to Mount Abu for the
construction of the temples. To commemorate their contribution, Hasti
Shala (The Elephant Courtyard) was constructed. |