The Jain Temples of Dilwara
The social motivation for constructing temples in medieval times : The 9th and 15th centuries saw building of the majority of important Jain temples. This period forms the golden age of temple construction all over India. The Indian belief from times immemorial, merit the erecting, repairing or restoring a temple. The ruler expected to undertake as a religious and special task. In the value of patriarchal duty, a king expected to take care of me religious needs of all his flock comprising different religious groups, irrespective of his own religion. Particularly during the middle ages, the intense religious favour of the kings encouraged their ministers, even rich merchants, to act as patrons and donors. The growing affluence of large sections of the population led to a 'democratisation' of temple donations to a degree never before witnessed.
The Jains, who by virtue of their religion, debarred from practising certain professions, came into their own as merchants, jewellers or bankers and amassed great wealth. This provided them with political possibilities as well: several of them were appointed as ministers by their kings. In these positions of power they naturally had to compromise on certain tenets of their religion such as non violence or the non-killing of living beings In these circumstances they often used their fabulous wealth for the purpose of religious endowments either as atonement for their sins or for improving their karma.
All the temples discussed here share the same social background and religious philosophy but these form merely the tip of the iceberg since around half the shrines in the states of modern Rajasthan and Gujarat were constructed by Jains in the middle ages.
Several of these made from white marble, because either the material was expensive or because of the Symbolism associated with the translucence of the Stone, Another reason could be that marble is ideal material for inlay work, reminiscent of jewels or of expensive ivory reliquaries. The negation of worldliness by Jainism moved several donors in old age to turn their back on an active life and to take monks' vows. Thus these shrines, which number among the most beautiful in Asia, paradoxically bear testimony to a religion, which, like no other, upholds the ideal of renunciation and of withdrawal from the world.
Overall plan of the temples : The Jain temples of Dilwara are located a few kilometres away from the city, in a valley; they are barely visible from a distance since their domes and little pyramids hardly protrude above the boundary wall. Only two of the four temples forming the complex shall be dealt with here. These are the Vimala Vasahi Temple (marked A in the overall plan and the Luna Vasahi Temple marked II in the overall plan).
The Vimala Vasahi or Vimala Shah Temple : At the beginning of the second millennium, the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat ruled over the west coast of northern India. The Parmars of Mt. Abu were the tribute paying vassals of the Solanki's. One of the Solanki ministers, Vimala Shah, an underling of King Bhimdeo (or Bhima Deva), was dispatched to the city of Chandravati to quell the rebellion in a princely state. At the end of his mission, he asked a Jain monk how he could atone for the bloodshed. The monk informed him that wilful killing could not be atoned. However, he could earn good virtue by constructing a temple at Mt. Abu.
Legend has it that the Brahmans were loathing parting with the land on which the Vimala Vasahi Temple stands. Vimala Shah's tutelary goddess, Ambika, Then appeared to him in a dream and showed him the place where an ancient Adinatha statue lay buried. This he placed before the Brahmans as evidence that the Jains had also been worshipping there since ancient times. Even then, the Hindus relinquished possession of the property only after a fantastic sum paid for it: Vimala Shah had to cover the 1,204 square meter area in pieces of gold, which is supposed to have cost him forty-six million rupees.
The Vimala Shah temple begun in 1031 AD, 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 labourers and fifteen hundred stonemasons. The marble brought From the Arasoori hills near Ambaji. It transported on the backs of elephants over a distance of approximately thirty to forty kilometres. One hundred and eighty million rupees are said to have been spent on the construction of the temple, including the price of the land.
Vimala Vasahi Temple ground plan : The temple, which is actually quite small, has a base measuring 33 x 14 m. It stands in the middle of a courtyard, surrounded by a double arcade of pillars and an ambulatory lined by devakulikas or subsidiary shrines. The bright light, which overwhelms the visitor on entering the temple, is due to the whiteness of the marble and the light filtering through the courtyard. Unlike Hindu architecture, the Jain shrines are never shrouded in mystical semi-darkness since the focus is on the brightness and clarity of the soul and on knowledge.
To enter the main temple located in the middle of the courtyard, it is necessary to descend a few steps, creating the impression of stepping under water into a crystalline world. The sanctum in the west, garbbagrha (literally, the womb house) (No.1 in the plan), it is known, as in Hindu temples. In front of this are three enclosed areas: a kind of vestibule, the so-called gudha mandapa (no. 2 in the plan), a portico, called the navchoki (hall with nine sections) and ceilings (No. 3) and the grand dance hall. The rang mandapa or the samba-mandapa (No 4). The gudha mandapa has widely projecting portals on the sides so that in the plan it has the structure of a cruciform. Only the garbha graham, gudha mandapa and navchoki date back to the time of Vimala Shah. All other structures were constructed later spanning several epochs. Ala-ud-din Khilji, The Sultan of Delhi, probably destroyed the temple during his invasion in 1511 and that explains why only three structures of the original edifice remain This could also provide the explanation for the absence of carvings on the exterior which are otherwise so typical of Solanki architecture. During the restoration of the temple, they have consciously dispensed with the originally, undoubtedly ornate exterior,
A major part of the Vimala Shah temple dates back to the 12th century. The builder this time was a minister Prithvi Pal, Who served the famous Jain king Kumrapala. Most of the structures added in 1147-1149 AD. He constructed the ranga mandapa (No. 4) and the elephant pavilion (No 5 in Plan 1) at the entrance, the later clearly out of deep respect for his famous precursor. Since the pavilion contains statues of the founder Vimala Shah and his family, each seated on an elephant, in addition to these, he also erected a high samavasarana (heavenly pavilion, a place from which a Tirthankara delivers his sermon). The Muslim invaders, in all likelihood, mutilated the original statues beyond repair. Consequently, today there is only an insignificant plaster of Paris statue of the founder of the temple.
The ranga mandapa : The dance pavilion construction in 1147-1149 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 6.6 m covered the hall. This is the largest extant example of the style of construction during the Solanki period. However, it still remains unknown if the temple is structurally sound since no tests have been conducted to check it out Probably a ring beam runs through each of the eleven concentric stone rings of the dome and this absorbs the horizontal thrust.
The ranga mandapa 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 elaborately scalloped and intricately carved arches.
The architecture overall, gives the impression of a precious ivory carving with intricate relief-work in which solid wall structures seem to melt away in favour of the play of light and shade. The scraping technique at least partly applied for the carving and construction - (the masons had been paid based on the accumulated marble dust). Interestingly, architraves run through the surrounding halls in the belief, perhaps, of thereby deflecting a part of the thrust.
From the interior, the dome appears suspended weightlessly over the visitor. Hanging down from the centre is a pendant in the form of a lotus blossom (padamashila); this has not yet acquired the overhanging form of the later periods and in comparison to the dome, appears to be disproportionately small. To offset the smallness it is surrounded by a garland of low hanging, conical ornaments the lotus, which is repeated ceaselessly in the ceilings of MT. Abu and Ranakpur represents, at the microcosmic level, the enlightenment of the individual and, at the macrocosmic one the entire cosmos or universe. The lower concentric rings embellished with endless rows of ornaments alternating with carvings of animals and human figures: they include the depiction of events from Jain mythology, the inevitable danseuses and elephant processions. Around the central motif as though forming a wreath of radiance, are a series of sixteen brackets consisting of the so called goddesses of knowledge They symbolise that moksha can be achieved only through the concretely achieved knowledge of the individual. The figures are deeply under carved and, therefore, contact plastically against the background. Due to the delicate and slim proportions, the figures appear fragile.
To the west of the ranga-mandapa you arrive at the navchoki, a portico with eight pillars that has added height again by a small cupola, here the ornate ness of the carvings is overwhelming. The navchoki has a silver pagoda, which, like that stone in the elephant pavilion, symbolises samavasarana, i.e. the heavenly pavilion from which a Tirthankara delivers a sermon after having achieved moksha, i.e. redemption. On festival days a statue of the ford maker placed in it, followers congregate in the mandapa and sing hymns, thus putting into practice the first instruction of the great teacher.
The Sanctum : The tourist cannot proceed beyond this point. However, from here, through the gudha mandapa, the sanctum sanctorum and the bright statue of the first Tirthankara are visible. The entrance to the cell flanked by two standing Parsva statues standing erect, and by relief of monks and nuns. The idol of Adinatha or Rishabhanatha deliberately made to appear impersonal and not human. Tirthankaras are carved preferably in alabaster or in any translucent stone in order to indicate the spirituality of a body which has been liberated from all earthly shackles and is thus, no longer a part of this world The eyes stare into the transcendental sphere of the next world. Even the odour and breath are not comparable with that of humans.
Thus, the garbha graha becomes a paradise - the place for delivering a sermon on earth, frozen in stone. Unlike the Hindu temple, which symbolizes the home of a deity, the Tirthankara is beyond propitiation, isolated and indifferent to human existence. In him, the human devotee can only get a glimpse of what he seeks to achieve for himself. The worship of the liberated one helps in purging some of the layers of matter attached to the soul.
The Ambulatory : Fifty-two devakulikas (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 others. The holy figure of fifty-two symbolises, for the Jains, the four eternal Tirthankaras and, in addition to them, the twenty-four belonging to the past and present aeons. Besides these, some larger cells added in the south-west. One of these (No. 7 in the plan) contains the huge black sculpture of Adinatha whose discovery ultimately proved decisive in Vimala Shah's procuring of the land. The tutelary goddess Ambika appeared to the founder of the temple in a dream in which she revealed to them the place where the statue, which would prove that an ancient Jain shrine existed on the site, lay concealed. A statue of this goddess worshipped in the adjoining cell (No. 8 in the plan).
On three sides, the devakulikas preceded by double columned halls with a single colonnade only in the west. It would be beyond the scope of this book to attempt to give a brief description of the endless ornamental and figural embellishments, which superimposed on all the architectural structures. However, some very unusual ceiling relief's find special mention, particularly in cases, which illustrate the special connection of the Jains with popular Hindu deities.
Ground plan of the Vimala Shah Temple : The image of Goddess Chakrasuri is three-dimensional and femininely rounded (No. 5 in the plan). Chakrasuri is the esoteric consort of Vishnu; she holds in her six arms, symbols, which also coincide with Jain concepts and philosophy. For example, the bow symbolises the ego and the arrow, the senses, which bind humankind to the material world; the round form of the discus personifies the soul, the sceptre the power of knowledge, the thunderbolt spiritual power and. with the noose, Chakrasuri captures the restless spirit of the faithful.
In the north-west corner (No. 9 in the plan), Krishna overpowered the snake Kaliya against whom he had to fight for the recovery of his golden ball which had fallen into the river Yamuna. The young god represented as the conqueror of the forces of darkness, since the ball symbolises the sun and the daily rising of the sun.
Tutelary gods are of course, indispensable. These are supposed to protect man against the grave dangers and perils confronting him. So, on the ceiling is a representation of the goddess of smallpox, Shitala (No. 12 in the plan).
The Jains often represent the goddesses of knowledge in a group of sixteen, as in the case of the ranga mandapa. The goddesses frequently represented with music instruments and in dance postures. Brahma's consort Saraswati (No. 13 in the plan) is also worshipped. She seated on the swan (her mount) and she is always represented with a veena in her hands.
The Tejapala or Luna Vasahi Temple : The Luna Vasahi Temple situated a little above the Vimala Shah Temple. This temple constructed by two brothers, Tejapala and Vastupala, are perhaps greatest builders of all time, in the Indian architectural history. They were the ministers of King Viradhavala. Apart from the Luna Vasahi Temple at Mt. Abu, the brothers also constructed numerous shrines; of these, only the Neminatha Temple of Girnar remains.
As the famous legend goes that, the brothers buried their money under a tree when on a pilgrimage, because of the instability in the country. When they again dug it out, they discovered more money than had been concealed by them. They were at loss of idea, Tejapala's wife, Anupama Devi came to their rescue, suggesting "they view the entire incident'' as an omen and construct from their wealth temples in Shatrunjaya and Girnar. Later, as ministers they resolved to construct a temple in Mt. Abu in memory of their deceased brother, Luniga and to dedicate it also to the twenty-second Tirthankara, Neminatha.
The architect Sobhana constructed the Luna Vasahi Temple in 1231 AD at a time when the Vaghela dynasty had practically overrun the Solanki's; the brothers were closely involved in this project. This may explain the influence as well as the source of the wealth. From the point of view of style, however, the Luna Vasahi temple is similar to that of the Vimala Shah temple. It can be described as the last great example of Solanki architecture. For transporting the stones, Tejapala himself financed the construction of a road with a gentle gradient. Later, this road was demolished in the face of the Muslim threat. The logistical expenditure alone must have been enormous; for instance, it is reported that special rest houses were constructed for the transport workers and animals.
The ground plan of the Tejapala Temple : The shrine, measuring 52 x 28.5 m, is a close approximation of its model, although it faces west and is the exact reverse of the Vimala Vasahi Temple - yet, the sequence of the structural parts is the same as in the Vimala Vasahi Temple. Consequently, a description highlighting the differences between the two temples will suffice here. The T-shaped temple stands in a courtyard, surrounded by fifty-two devakulikas screened by a double row of colonnades. Only in the north and south does a cell project a little out of the closed ground plan. At the back, there are no shrines, only an enclosed hall with very old jali work, i.e., a latticed wall with ornamental tracery. It contains the shockingly mutilated statues of the founders and their families.
The roof of the sanctum is such a flat phamsana (pyramidal roof) that it barely projects above the complex. In front of the sanctum is the gudha mandapa which does not have any supporting pillars (No. 2 in the plan ) and a columned hall, the navchoki; (No. 3 in the plan) To gain entry the visitor must climb up three steps from the dance hall.
The eight pillars of the ranga mandapa connected to each other with curved arches and form an octagon made from toranas. The dome, too, is a marvel of artistic precision and its keystone is proportionately larger as compared to that of the Vimala Shah temple. The change in architectural style after the middle of the 12th century is evident in the representation of the sixteen goddesses of knowledge: in comparison with the representations of the earlier period, these goddesses are no longer rounded; instead, they represented as slim, in fact almost lean and emaciated. However, this is not uniformly the case, as can be seen from the representation of the full bosomed goddess in the spandrel of the ranga mandapa.
Only one example from the sculptural embellishment finds mention here: this is the relief on the ceiling in the northern ambulatory depicting scenes from the life of Neminatha, minute details of the events finely chiselled in scenes teeming with figures.
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Article Source :"Jainism And The Temples Of Mount Abu And Ranakpur"
Publisher: Gyan Gaurav Publishers. C-34, Sir Pratap Colony, Airport Road, Jodhpur
Tele : 91 291 2515861, 9414127863, Editor : Mr. Dilip Surana
Layout & Graphics: Antesh Choudhary
Text : Lothar Clermont, Photos: Thomas Dix,
Printer : First Printed 1998, Reprinted 2006 by Thomson Press, New Delhi
Volume : 96 pages, Size: 242 x 312 mm
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Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
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