These temples have been made out of white marble which has lent itself to intricate carvings. The interior is heavily ornamented with minutely carved ceilings, doorways, pillars, arches, passages, and panels. The ceilings are engraved with designs of lotus-buds, petals, flowers, and scenes from Jain and Hindu mythology. It is said that the artisans were paid according to the amount of dust they collected, which encouraged them to carve ever more intricately.
Vimal Vasahi temple - In this temple, every inch of the temple’s interiors are adorned with intricate marble carvings. The figures of ‘makaras’ are carved at the entrance, and below them are figures of conches. The cusped arches and ornate capitals are beautifully designed and superbly made. Going clockwise around the cells, some of the outstanding ceiling sculptures are lions, dancers and musicians in cell 1; people bringing offerings, birds, figures playing music in cells 2-7; a Jain teacher preaching in cell 8; the major auspicious events in the life of the Tirthankaras in cell 9; and Neminath’s life, ...
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These temples have been made out of white marble which has lent itself to intricate carvings. The interior is heavily ornamented with minutely carved ceilings, doorways, pillars, arches, passages, and panels. The ceilings are engraved with designs of lotus-buds, petals, flowers, and scenes from Jain and Hindu mythology. It is said that the artisans were paid according to the amount of dust they collected, which encouraged them to carve ever more intricately.
Vimal Vasahi temple - In this temple, every inch of the temple’s interiors are adorned with intricate marble carvings. The figures of ‘makaras’ are carved at the entrance, and below them are figures of conches. The cusped arches and ornate capitals are beautifully designed and superbly made. Going clockwise around the cells, some of the outstanding ceiling sculptures are lions, dancers and musicians in cell 1; people bringing offerings, birds, figures playing music in cells 2-7; a Jain teacher preaching in cell 8; the major auspicious events in the life of the Tirthankaras in cell 9; and Neminath’s life, including his marriage, and playing with Krishna and the gopis in cell 10. In the southeast corner of the temple between cells 22 and 23 there is a large black idol of Adinath, which is said to have been installed by Vimal Shah in 1031. In cell 32 the scene of Krishna overpowering the Kaliya Nag has been depicted, as well as half-human and half snake figures, and other stories from Krishna’s life; in cell 38, there is the 16-armed goddess Vidyadevi (goddess of knowledge); cells 46-48, feature the goddess of smallpox, Shitala Mata; and cell 49 has Narasimha, the ‘man-lion’ incarnation of Lord Vishnu who is shown tearing open the stomach of the demon king Hiranya-Kashyapa, surrounded by an opening lotus. The pillars have carvings of female figurines who are depicted playing musical instruments. Across the lower rings, which are 16 brackets which are carved in the form of the goddesses of knowledge. Each of these goddesses has her own symbol in their hands.
Luna Vasahi temple - In the Luna Vasahi temple the decorative carving and jali work within this temple are so fine that the marble looks almost transparent in some places. The small domes in front of the shrine contain the Neminatha figure which is adorned with jewels. There is an exquisitely carved lotus on the Rang mandapa ceiling and the sculptures on the colonnades are very intricate.
Pitalhar temple - The image of the deity was cast by an artist known as 'Deta'. It is 8 ft. (2.4 m) high and 5.5 ft. (1.7 m) broad. In Gudh Mandap on one side, there is a big marble Panch-Tirthi sculpture of Adinath.
Parshvanath Temple – Here, on all four faces of the sanctum on the ground floor, there are four big halls or mandaps which contain four-faced images of the 23rd Jain Tirthankara, Parsvanatha. Hence the temple is also called the Chaumukha Temple. The outer walls of the sanctum have beautiful sculptures carved in grey sandstone. These show the Dikpals, and a double set of Vidhyadevis, with one set depicting standing figures and the other sitting ones. There is a set of all the 24 Yakshinis, Shalabhanjikas, and other decorative figures which are comparable in their beauty and graceful postures with those found in the temples of Khajuraho and Konark.
Mahavir Swami temple – Although it is the smallest temple here, yet the carvings on its walls are very intricate and beautiful.
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