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Jain Art
Jain art refers to religious works of art associated with Jainism. Even though Jainism has spread only in some parts of India, it has made a significant contribution to Indian art and architecture. In general Jain art broadly follows the contemporary style of Indian Buddhist and Hindu art, though the iconography, and the functional layout of temple buildings, reflects specific Jain needs. The artists and craftsmen producing most Jain art were probably not themselves Jain, but from local workshops patronized by all religions. This may not have been the case for illustrated manuscripts, where many of the oldest Indian survivals are Jain. Jains mainly depict ''tirthankara'' or other important people in a seated or standing meditative posture, sometimes on a very large scale. ''Yaksa'' and ''yaksini'', attendant spirits who guard the ''tirthankara'', are usually shown with them. Iconography of tirthankaras A tirthankara or Jina is represented either seated in lotus position ...
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Jain Statues, Gwalior
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being Rishabhadeva, whom the tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago, the twenty-third ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha, whom historians date to the 9th century BCE, and the twenty-fourth ''tirthankara'' Mahavira, around 600 BCE. Jainism is considered to be an eternal ''dharma'' with the ''tirthankaras'' guiding every time cycle of the cosmology. The three main pillars of Jainism are ''ahiṃsā'' (non-violence), ''anekāntavāda'' (non-absolutism), and '' aparigraha'' (asceticism). Jain monks, after positioning themselves in the sublime state of soul consciousness, take five main vows: ''ahiṃsā'' (non-violence), ''satya'' (truth), '' asteya'' (not stealing), ''brahmacharya'' (chastity), and '' aparigraha'' (non-possessiveness). These ...
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Tilaka
In Dharmic culture, the ''tilaka'' ( sa, तिलक) () is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna chakra, or sometimes another part of the body such as the neck, hand, chest or arm. ''Tilaka'' may be worn daily or for rites of passage or special spiritual and religious occasions only, depending on regional customs. The term also refers to the Hindu ritual of marking someone's forehead with a fragrant paste, such as of sandalwood or vermilion, as a welcome and an expression of honour when they arrive.Axel Michaels (2015), ''Homo Ritualis: Hindu Ritual and Its Significance for Ritual Theory'', Oxford University Press, , pp. 100-112, 327 Historically, ''tilaka'' were also used in other Dharmic cultures including Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, which were influenced by Hinduism and its spiritual and philosophical beliefs. Description The tilaka is a mark created by the application of powder or paste on the forehead. Tilakas are vertical markings worn by V ...
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Kirti Stambh
Kirti Stambha is a 12th-century tower situated at Chittor Fort in Chittorgarh town of Rajasthan, India. History Chittor has a history going back several centuries. It was an ancient centre of Jain tradition. Chittor is adjacent to the ancient city of Madhyamika. The Jain inscriptions at Mathura from the Kushana period (1st to 3rd centuries) mention a "Majjhimilla" branch of the "Kottiya" gana, indicating that it was a major Jain centre. The famous Acharya Haribhadra Suri (6th century) was born in Chittor and wrote "Dhurtopakhyana" there. There was a scholar Elacharya at Chittor from whom Vira-senacharya (9th century) learned the ancient Shat-khandagama and Kashayapahuda. Virasena later wrote the famous "Dhavala" and "Jayadhavala" on the basis of these books. The tower was built by a Jain merchant Jeeja Bhagerwala during the reign of Rawal Kumar Singh in CE. It was the residence of Jinavallabha who propagated the Vidhimarga in the 12th century. From the 15th to 17th cen ...
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Ellora Caves
Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 CE., Quote: "These 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff, not far from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra. Ellora, with its uninterrupted sequence of monuments dating from A.D. 600 to 1000, brings the civilization of ancient India to life. Not only is the Ellora complex a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its sanctuaries devoted to Hinduism, it illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient India." Cave 16 features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot-shaped monument dedicated to the god Shiva. The Kailash temple excavation also features sculptures depicting various Hindu deities as well a ...
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Relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane. When a relief is carved into a flat surface of stone (relief sculpture) or wood (relief carving), the field is actually lowered, leaving the unsculpted areas seeming higher. The approach requires a lot of chiselling away of the background, which takes a long time. On the other hand, a relief saves forming the rear of a subject, and is less fragile and more securely fixed than a sculpture in the round, especially one of a standing figure where the ankles are a potential weak point, particularly in stone. In other materials such as metal, clay, plaster stucco, ceramics or papier-mâché the form can be simply added to or raised up from the background. Monumental bronze reliefs a ...
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Indian Rock-cut Architecture
Indian rock-cut architecture is more various and found in greater abundance in that country than any other form of rock-cut architecture around the world. Rock-cut architecture is the practice of creating a structure by carving it out of solid natural rock. Rock that is not part of the structure is removed until the only rock left makes up the architectural elements of the excavated interior. Indian rock-cut architecture is mostly religious in nature. There are more than 1,500 known rock-cut structures in India. Many of these structures contain artwork of global importance, and most are adorned with exquisite stone carvings. These ancient and medieval structures represent significant achievements of structural engineering and craftsmanship. The effort expended often astonishes visitors, but seen from one aspect, a rock-cut structure is a decorated rock quarry; most of the stone removed was typically put to economic use elsewhere. In India, caves have long been regarded as sacr ...
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Palitana Temples
The Palitana temples are the large groups of Jain temples located on Shatrunjaya hills near Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. Also known as Padliptapur of Kathiawad in historic texts, the dense collection of over 800 small shrines and large temples here has led many to call Palitana as a "city of Temples". It is one of the most sacred sites of Svetambara tradition within Jainism. These temples were built in and after the 11th century CE. The Palitana site contains nearly 1000 temples on the hills spread mostly in nine clusters, some being vast temple complexes, while most are small in size. The main temple is dedicated to Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara; it is the holiest shrine for the Svetambara Murtipujaka sect. Marble is the preferred material of construction. The Palitana temples complex is near the top of the hills, in groups called Tonks (Tuks) along the various ridges of the hill tops. According to Anadji Kalyanji Trust, more than 400,000 pilgrims vi ...
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Dilwara Temples
The Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of Śvētāmbara Jain temples located about kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement in Sirohi District, Rajasthan's only hill station. The earliest were built by Bhima-1 and supposedly designed or at least financed by Vastupala, Jain minister of Dholka. They date between the 11th and 16th centuries, forming some of the most famous monuments in the style of Māru-Gurjara architecture, famous for their use of a very pure white marble and intricate marble carvings. They are managed bSeth Shri Kalyanji Anandji Pedhi Sirohi and are a pilgrimage place for Jains, and a significant general tourist attraction. Although Jains built many temples at other places in Rajasthan, the Dilwara temples are believed to be the most impressive. Architecture The five Dilwara Temples are among the most famous Jain temples. The Vimal Vasahi is much the earliest, constructed by 1031, with the Luna Vasahi by 1230, and the others at intervals ...
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Saavira Kambada Basadi
Saavira Kambada Temple () or Tribhuvana Tilaka Cūḍāmaṇi), is a ''basadi'' or Jain temple noted for its 1000 pillars in Moodabidri, Karnataka, India. The temple is also known as "Chandranatha Temple" since it honours the tirthankara Chandraprabha, whose eight-foot idol is worshipped in the shrine. The town of Moodabidri is noted for its 18 Jain temples, but Saavira Kambada Temple is considered the finest among them. The temple is considered an architectural wonder and is a major attraction of Moodabidri. History The Basadi was built by the local chieftain, Devaraya Wodeyar in 1430 and took 31 years to complete, additions to temples were made in 1962. The shrine has a 50 feet tall monolith manasthambha erected by Karkala Bhairava Queen Nagala Devi. Architecture The temple is considered an architectural wonder. The temple is full of elaborate sculptures and decoration. The doorway of the temple has intricate carvings and is enclosed with ornate walls. The massive pillar ...
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Lodhurva Jain Temple
Lodhurva Jain temple is a Jain temple in the Lodhruva village of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan. History Lodhruva was established as the capital by Rawal Deoraj, the Bhati clan, in 8th−9th century CE. The temple was constructed in the 9th century along with city of Lodhruva. Rawal Jaisal, a famous prince of the Bhati clan, moved his capital from Lodhruva to Jaisalmer in 1156 CE. The temple was also plundered by Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad of Ghor. This led to temple being destroyed in 1152 CE. In 1615 CE, the temples undergone repairs and renovations. The temple remains the only standing structure in the ruined city of Lodhruva. About temple Lodhurva is one of the important Jain center. The temple is built with yellow limestone and sandstone; famous for the intricate craftsmanship. The temple features ornate torana (arched gateway), and stone carvings of Kalpavriksha and kalputra. Lodhurva Jain temple is considered one of the best example of Jain architecture in Rajas ...
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Ranakpur Jain Temple
Ranakpur Jain temple or Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara is a Śvētāmbara Jain temple at Ranakpur dedicated to ''Tirthankara'' Rishabhanatha. The temple is located in a village of Ranakpur near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan. Darna Shah, a local Jain businessperson, started construction of the temple in the 15th century following a divine vision. The temple honours Adinath, the first Tirthankar of the present half-cycle (avasarpiṇī) according to Jain cosmology. The Ranakpur temple is one of the largest and most important temples of Jain culture. The campus includes various temples such as Chaumukha temple, Surya temple, Suparshvanatha temple and Amba temple. Ranakpur along with Muchhal Mahavir, Narlai, Nadol and Varkana forms ''" Gorwad Panch Tirth"''. Temple History The construction is well documented in a 1436 CE copper-plate record, inscriptions in the temple and a Sanskrit text Soma-Saubhagya Kavya. Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dharna Shah, ...
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Shikharji
Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara and Śvētāmbara, for it is the place where twenty of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras along with many other monks attained Moksha. Etymology ''Shikharji'' means the "venerable peak". The site is also called Sammet Śikhar "peak of concentration." because it is a place where twenty of twenty-four Tirthankaras attained Moksha through meditation. The word "Parasnath" is derived from Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Jain Tirthankara, who was one of those who is believed to have attained Moksha at the site. Geography Shikarji is located in an inland part of rural east India. It lies on NH-2, the Delhi-Kolkata highway in a section called the Grand Trunk road Shikharji rises to making it the highest mountain in Jharkhand state. Jain traditi ...
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