Professional Documents
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•52 DEVAKULIKAS OR SUBSIDIARY SHRINES
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• 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 RANG MANDAPA
• THE DANCE PAVILION CONSTRUCTED IN 1147-1149.
• As the interior had to be free of supporting pillars,
a SHIKHARA tower was not possible due to its heavy weight.
Instead, a wide vaulted dome with a diameter of 6.6 m is
covering the hall.
THE RANG MANDAPA
• The ranga mandapa is open from three sides.
• 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, so-called
toranas.
12 decorated pillars.
Dome of the ranga-
mandapa in Vimala Vasahi
Temple
THE RANG MANDAPA
DOME DETAILS
•From the dome hangs down
from the centre is a pendant
in the form of a lotus blossom
(padamashila).
•a garland of low hanging,
conical ornaments surround
it.
•It is surrounded by a series
of sixteen brackets showing
the so-called goddesses of
knowledge.
•On the pillars are carved
female figurines playing
musical instruments and
superimposed across the
lower rings are 16 brackets
carved in the form of the
goddesses of knowledge
NAVCHOKI
•a portico with eight
pillars that has added
height.
•The Navchowki is a
collection of nine
rectangular ceilings,
each one containing
beautiful carvings of
different designs
supported on ornate
pillars.
•Each of the nine
ceilings here seems
to
GUDHU
MANDAPA
•Through it the
bright statue of the
first Tirthankara is
visible.
•profusely
decorated
doorway.
•Gudh-Mandap is
simple, meant for
obeisance and
'Arti' to the deity.
• Fifty-two devakulikas (subsidiary
The Ambulatory 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 have.
Besides these, some larger cells have
• been added in the southwest.
One of these (no. 7 in the plan)
contains
a huge black sculpture of Adinatha
• whose discovery ultimately proved
decisive in VIMALA Shah’s procuring of
the land.
The tutelary goddess Ambika ,statue of
this goddess worshipped in the
adjoining cell (no. 8 in the plan).
Partial view of the southern
ambulatory in Vimala Vasahi Temple
Partial view of the southern
ambulatory in Vimala Vasahi Temple
CEILING AROUND THE CELLS
• Going clockwise round the cells, some of the more important ceiling sculptures
illustrate:
• cell 1, lions, dancers and musicians;
• cells 2-7, people bringing offerings, birds, music-making;
• cell 8, Jain teacher preaching;
• cell 9, the major auspicious events in the life of the Tirthankars;
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cell 10, Neminath’s life, including his marriage, and playing with Krishna and the
• gopis.
In the southeast corner of the temple between cells 22 and 23 is a large black
• idol
of Adinath.
• Cell 32 shows Krishna subduing Kaliya Nag, half human and half snake, and other
• Krishna scenes;
• cell 38, the 16-armed goddess Vidyadevi (goddess of knowledge);
cells 46-48, 16-armed goddesses, including the goddess of smallpox, Shitala Mata;
cell 49, Narasimha, the ‘man-lion’ tearing open the stomach of the demon
Hiranya-Kashyapa, surrounded by an opening lotus.
Plan 2 •
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THE HATISHALA
•The Hatishala (Elephant Cell) was
constructed by Prithvipal, a
descendant of Vimal Shah in
1147-49 and features a row of
elephants in sculpture.
•The Hathishala or elephant cell
features 10 beautiful marble
elephants neatly polished and
realistically modelled.
•Formerly the elephants carried
the idols representing the
members of Vastupala's
family,but now they have
disappeared.
• Behind the elephants are 10
slabs,each bearing a male and
female figureson it ( it is believed
that these figures represent the
members of Vastupala's family).
DESTRUCTION AND PRESENT
CONDITION
• Only garbha griha, gudham, gudha mandapa andapa and navchoki date back to the time of
Vimala Shah.
• All other structures were constructed later.
• 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.
• Most of the structures were added in 1147-1149 AD. He constructed the ranga mandapa
and the elephant pavilion 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 pavilion, a place from which
• a Tirthankara delivers his sermon.
The Muslim invaders, in all likelihood, mutilated the original statues beyond repair.
Therefore, in our days only an insignificant plaster of Paris statue of the founder of the
garlandlike, richly decorated arches (makara toranas) free pending from the
middle between two columns, carried by little pillars on each column.
View through toranas surrounding the
ranga-mandapa onto the SANCTUM
THE LUNA VASAHI TEMPLE
•BUILT IN 1230 A.D.
•ALMOST AFTER
200 YEARS OF
VIMALA VASAHI
TEMPLE.
•IS DEDICATED TO
22ND TIRTHANKAR
SHRI NEMI NATH.
•ANOTHER NAME
FOR THIS TEMPLE
IS TEJPAL
TEMPLE.
ARCHITECTURE STYLE AND DETAILS
• VERY SIMILAR TO THAT OF VIMALA VASAHI TEMPLE.
• TEMPLE’S LAYOUT IS BASED ON SOLANKI
• ARCHITECTURE.
• DOME IS THE MAJOR ATTRACATION OF THIS TEMPLE.
• JALI WORK
NICHES.
HISTORY
• Columned hall.
• The Navchowki features some of the most
magnificent and delicate marble stone cutting
work of the temple.
• Each of the nine ceilings here seems to
exceed the others in beauty and grace.
GUDH • It does not have any
MANDAP supporting pillars (no. 2 in
the plan).
• A simple hall decorated
with the images of Shri Adi
Nath.
• The Kirthi Stambha is a big
black stone pillar that
stands on the left side of
the temple. The pillar was
constructed by Maharana
Kumbha of Mewar.
SANCTUM • The roof of the Sanctum is
such a flat phamsana
(pyramidal roof) that it
barely projects above the
complex.
• The Gudh mandap features
a black marble idol of the
22nd tirthankar
Neminatha.
• In front of the sanctum is
the gudha mandapa and
navchoki.
• There are 52 cells in the corridor,
CELLS out of which four were newly
built and four renovated.
• Most of the ceilings in front of
the cells are highly ornamented.
• The relief in the porticoes of
the cells depicts incidents from
the life of Neminatha,
his marriage,deification etc.
• In front of every cell the ceiling
is divided into two sections with
double row of columns.
• In each cell image of one or the
other Jain Tirthankar or Devi is
installed.
CELLS
• Cell No. 1: the ceiling bears a beautiful figure of Devi AmbikA.
• 9:Ceilings contains a ocean, boats, aquatic animals and scenes of
‘Dwarka’ and shrine of Girnar.
• 11:The ceiling is divided into seven lines elephants, horses,dances
figures. Fight of Krishna and Jarasand. Life depiction of Lord
Neminath etc.
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14 to 16: life sketches of Tirthankars Parashwanath and
• Shantinath
respectively are depicted.
19: in the cell on a relief, life incidents of 20 th Tirthankar Muni
Suvrata. In the lower portion scenes is an ocean. In the midst, the
• sailing ship, fishes, crocodiles, tortoises and such other aquatic
animals.
23 to 26: New construction, in cell no. 24 Rajuldevi and Neminath.
In 25 th Ambika and 26 th contains Kunthunath.
HATHISHALA