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| Delwara Jain Temple
Mount Abu, Rajasthan. |
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Location:
Delwara
Jain Temples are situated in Delwara village 3 km from Mount Abu. Delwara Temples are
the world famous Jain temples situated at Delwara village
about 3 km's from Mt. Abu the famous and beautiful hill
station of Rajasthan. Delwara is adorned with beautiful Jain shrines and considered to be one of the wonders of the world. The temples are constructed in 11th and 12th
century A.D. are completely made of marble. The Delwara
temples are a composite cluster of 5 temples. Archaeological evidence suggests that Mahavira himself visited the site, making it especially sacred to the Jains as a tirtha, or a place of pilgrimage. As a temple city it ranks among the finest ones of the
Jains.
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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 & Goddesses and great men from Jain and
great
Hindu
mythology.
The Vimal Vasahi temple (12th century AD), was built by Vimal Shah, the minister of Bhima Dev I, Solanki ruler of Gujarat. He built the temple at a cost of Rs 18.53 crore. It took 14 years to build this temple by 1,500 artisans and 1,200 labourers. Vimal Vasahi has a gudha
mandap, navchoki, rang mandap, and a circumambulatory corridor having 57 cells. In each cell, images of one or the other Jain tirthankara is installed. This temple is essentially rectangular in plan and is oriented on the East-West axis with the main shrine facing East. The two
pillared halls, the sabha mandap and the navchoki, precede a third mandap without pillars. This unit comprises the central core, which is ubiquitous in Hindu temple architecture after the Gupta period. One of the descendants of Vimal Shah named Prithvipal carried out certain constructions and repairs in 1147-49 AD and to commemorate the glory of his family erected a hasti shala in front of this temple.
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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 cells
comprise of ornamented lotus buds, birds, playing of musical instruments, pancha kalyanak scenes (auspicious events in the life of Jain
tirthankaras), elephants, horses, images of Gajalakshmi and Shankeshwari, Ambika Devi, representations of Lord Krishna subduing the Kaliya
Naga, Krishna and his brother Baladeva and friends playing with a ball, Krishna on
Sheshayana, sixteen armed Goddess Vidya Devi, Saraswati, Indra, Agni,
Yama, Varuna, Vayu, Kubera, tirthankaras surrounded by flying demi gods riding swans, peacocks, horses, beautiful big sculptures of the sixteen armed goddess Shitalmata, unique relief of the many armed Narasimha tearing the belly of Hiranya Kashipu are very intricate and subtle in their treatment of expressions.
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Rang Mandap:
A
grand Hall supported by 12 decorated pillars and nicely carved out arches with a central dome in the most exquisite design.
The ranga mandap is the most impressive structure supported by twelve decorated pillars and nicely carved out arches with a central dome in the most ethereal design, luxuriant in ornamentation and punctilious details having eleven concentric rings of elephants, horsemen, ducks, swans and a group of ornamental pendants of fine carving hanging down in the
centre. The variety of sculpted panels is simply mind boggling covering every inch of marble. The dancing sculptures on the pillars are the most attractive part of the sculptural treatment. They vary in sizes accordingly. There are both male and female dancing sculptures.
You can also see designs
with heavy ornamentation work. On the pillars are placed the female
figures playing musical instruments and 16 Vidhyadevis - the goddesses of
knowledge - each one having her own symbol.
Navchowki: It
comprises of the nine rectangular ceilings, each one containing beautiful
carvings of different designs supported on the ornate pillars.
Gudh-Mandap: Inside the profusely decorated doorway, is
installed principal deity - Baghwan Rishabdev, also called
Adinath, the first
Jain Tirthankar. Gudh-Mandap is simple, meant for obeisance and 'Arti' to
the deity.
Hastishala ( (Elephant
Cell): Hastishala
was constructed by Prithvipal, a decedent of Vimal Shah in 1147-49 A.D. In the front entrance statue of
Vimal Shah originally carved in marble is seen, the statute was mutilated
and was repaired by plaster. A Smavasaran, circular in shape, is also noteworthy.
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