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Temples
The great architectural movement which swept Rajasthan
from the 8th to the 11th century was really a later
flowering of the virile development inspired by the
Guptas during the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries. The 8th
and 9th century also saw new styles of temples emerging
from the Gurjara Pratihara dynasty from Mandore. Temples
built around this time also include temples at
Chittorgarh and Osiyan in western Rajasthan. The
familiar feature of these temples is single sikhara or
spire and intricately carved outer chamber called the
mandup before the inner sanctum. In many temples the
main temple would be surrounded by series of small and
finely carved temples. A good example of these are
Kalika Mata Temple and Kumbha Shyam temples in the
Chittorgarh fort. Temples at Kiradu in western Barmer
known as Solanki style are known for sculptured frescos.
The best example in this is the Someshvara Temple, which
has fine sculptured fresco, and a multi tiered spire.
The 10th century saw the constructions of many splendid
Jain Temple, notable amongst them are the Dilwara
Temples at Mt Abu, Mahavira Temple at Ghanerao in
southern Rajasthan and Ranakpur near Udaipur. At
Ranakpur the Chomukha meaning four faced is the finest.
It features a series of mandupas decorated with
intricate carving giving a breath taking symmetry. A
group of Jain Temples at Jaisalmer are also noteworthy.
A great deal of this fine architecture, however, was
destroyed during the earlier Muslim invasions. |
