Jain Temple: Forest of Pillars
Though it might be hard to believe based on the
previous photograph, Jain temples usually have quite plain exteriors.
Their interiors, however, are a riot of decoration. This is in
keeping with the Jain philosophy that external appearances are
unimportant and that what truly matters is the inner self.
The Jain temple at Ranakpur, besides having an inner sanctum with
four statues of Adinath, one facing each of the cardinal points of the
compass and several corbelled domes with numerous statues of musicians and
dancers, has an astonishing 1,444 pillars, a relative few of which are
shown in this photograph. Though not seen in the photograph, the Jains
incorporated Vedic gods like Indra into their decorative program,
even as they reserved pride of place for images of the
tirthankaras. This is unlike Buddhist art, which typically
is stylistically similar to Hindu art of the same period, but
which has a completely separate iconography.
Photo taken: February 5, 2008
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