Dilwara jain temple

architecture of dilwara jain temple in india

1. DILWARA JAIN TEMPLE DIPEKSHA PATELIA

2. Dilwara Jain Temples is one of the finest Jain temple for its extraordinary architecture and marvelous marble stone carvings. It seems fairly basic temple from outside but the temple interior showcases the extraordinary work of human craftsmanship at its best. These temples were built between 11th to 13th century AD, The ornamental details of marble stone carvings is phenomenal and unmatched, The minutely carved ceilings and the pillars are just amazing. All this was done at a height of 1200+ Mtrs in Mount Abu, Huge blocks of marble stones were transported on elephant backs from the Arasoori Hills at Ambaji to this remote hilly region of Mount Abu. Dilwara temples is also a popular pilgrimage attraction. INTRODUCTION

3. Dilwara Jain temples built by Chalukya between the 11th and 13th centuries AD and constructed entirely of white marble. These are domed shrines with pillared halls. As Cousense remarks " the amount of beautiful ornamental detail spread over these temples in the minutely carved decoration of ceiling , pillars, doorways, panels and niches is extraordinary ; the crisp, thin translucent, shell like treatment of the marble surpasses anything seen elsewhere, and some of the designs are veritable dreams of beauty. The Dilwara temples are a composite cluster of 5 temples. Each of these five temples are with its own unique identity. These five marble temples of Dilwara are a sacred pilgrimage place of the Jains. Each is named after the small village in which it is located. These are: 1. Vimal Vasahi (Shri Adi Nathji temple) dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar lord Rishabh. 2. Luna Vasahi (Shri Neminathji temple) dedicated to the 22nd Jain Tirthankar lord Neminatha. 3. Pithalhar (Shri Rishabha Devji temple) dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar lord Rishabh 4. Khartar Vasahi (Shri Parshva Nathji temple) dedicated to the 23rd Jain Tirthankar lord Parshva. 5. Mahavir Swami (Shri Mahavir Swamiji temple) dedicated to the 23rd Jain Tirthankar lord Parshva. All these shrines belong to different centuries. The first two are build wholly of white marble, they have got exuberant carvings and ornamentation work on the walls, doors, pillars, mandaps, torans, ceilings etc.. The designs depict life stories of Jain Tirthankars, scenes of Gods and Goddesses and great men from Jain and great Hindu mythology. The most famous of these are the Vimal Vasahi and Luna Vasahi temples. ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE

4. Vimal Vasahi (Shri Adi Nathji temple) Vimal Vasahi Temple was built in 1021 by Vimal Shah, the minister and commander in chief of Bhima Dev I, Solanki ruler of Gujarat. It took 1500 artisans and 1200 laborers a time span of 14 years to build this brilliant piece of architecture. The whole shrine covers an area of 140 ft. long and 90 ft. broad. As we enter the temple we get a glimpse of the grandeur of sculptured marble, exquisite carvings of ceilings, domes, pillars and arches of the temple which is beyond anyone's expectations. It has a sanctum, a Gudha Mandap, Navchowki, Rang Mandap and a circumambulatory corridor having 57 cells. In each cell , image of one or the other Jain Tirthankar is installed. In front of every cell, double carved roofs are screened by double arcade of pillars. Cell numbers are marked and the name of the idol installed in it is also written. The Luna Vashi temple is dedicated to the 22nd Jain Tirthankara Shri Neminathji. This magnificent temple was built in 1230 by two Porwad brothers - Vastupal and Tejpal - both ministers of a Virdhaval, the Vaghela ruler of Gujarat. The temple built in memory of their late brother Luna was designed after the Vimal Vashi temple. The main hall or Rang mandap features a central dome from which hangs a big ornamental pendent featuring elaborate carving. Arranged in a circular band are 72 figures of Tirthankars in sitting posture and just below this band are 360 small figures of Jain monks in another circular band. The Hathishala or elephant cell features 10 beautiful marble elephants neatly polished and realistically modelled. Luna Vasahi (Shri Nemi Nathji temple):

5. Pittalhar Temple This temple was built by Bhamashah kavdia of Rajasthan. A massive metal statue of the first tirthankara, Rishabha Dev (Adinath) , cast in five metals, is installed in the temple. The main metal used in this statue is 'Pital' (brass), hence the name 'Pittalhar'. The Shrine consists of a main Garbhagriha , Gudh mandap and Navchowki. It seems that the construction of Rangmandap and the corridor was left unfinished as probably builder of the temple In Gudh Mandap on one side, a big marble Panch-Tirthi sculpture of Adinath is installed. This temple, dedicated to Lord Parshvanath, was built by Mandlik and his family in 1458-59 It consists of a three storied building, the tallest of all the shrines at Dilwara. On all the four faces of the sanctum on the ground floor are four big mandaps. The outer walls of the sanctum comprise beautiful sculptures in gray sandstone, depicting Dikpals, Vidhyadevis, Yakshinis, Shalabhanjikas and other decorative sculptures comparable to the ones in Khajuraho and Konark . Parshvanatha Temple Mahaveer Swami Temple This is a small structure constructed in 1582 and dedicated to Lord Mahavira.being small it is a marvellous temple with carvings on its walls. There are pictures on the upper walls of the porch painted in 1764 by the artists of sirohi

6. In the temples in Mount Abu even chiseling was put aside, and artisans adopted the sedulous task of thinning the marble into carved images, a worth noticing architectural splendor. This was done by gently scraping away the surface till a figure eventually emerged, so intricate and fine that it was intelligibly magnificent. This is the reason why the temples in Mount Abu and Ranakpur are said to be the finest Jain temples in the world. Marvelous Architecture Splendor The architectural vocabulary of the region included ornamental rendering of flowers and creepers. The portrayal of Yakshini Chakreshwari, the attendant deity of Adinatha (first Jain saint) is an integral part of the temple. The intricately sculpted arches here are of two types; one with regular wavy undulations and the other, which is seen in the Vimala Vasahi, with exaggerated curves. Two of these temples have been singled out by many experts as outstanding. These are the Vimala Vasahi and Luna Vasahi. This temple, dedicated to the first Jain tirthankar (fordmaker) Adinatha, involved a work force of 2,700 men and took a total of 14 years to complete at an exuberant cost, a worth noticing specimen of architectural splendor. Prithvipala, a descendant of Vimala, is also known to have added to the magnificent temple in 1150AD. The temple of Vimala is supposed to the oldest and the most `complete’ example of Jain temple architecture. The rather simple façade hides an amazingly beautiful interior. The Gateway The entrance to the temple is from the east through a domed porch which leads to a six-pillared pavilion with a three-tiered smosan (a conventional representation of the holy mountain of the Jains) in the center. The smosan is surrounded by 10 statues including that of the founder Vimala and his family, each seated on a beautiful elephant chiseled out of a single block of white marble, about four feet high. These representations are now badly defaced, having been destroyed by plundering zealots. The Shrine of Jina Adinatha From the pavilion one passes into a secluded courtyard. Here the temple resolves itself into a colonnade which forms an open arcade containing the shrine. Seated in the center of this shrine is the cross-legged seated figure Jina Adinatha, to whom the temple is dedicated. The entire interior architecture is leniently covered with elaborate carvings, but the splendour of the domed ceiling of this hall is what sets it apart from all others. The Methodology of Carving