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HERITAGE: TEMPLE EXCAVATION
God's Preserve
A medieval Hindu-Jain temple has been unearthed in
Gujarat but the GSAD isn't digging in
By Uday Mahurkar
In 1968, when a
farmer chanced upon two idols of Jain gods in Umta village near Vadnagar
in north Gujarat, little did he know that 30 years on it would help unearth
ancient heritage. Last month's excavation at the site has unfolded a 100
ft by 100 ft temple housing Hindu and Jain gods, Khajuraho-like apsaras,
idols of Jain gurus or tirthankars and finely carved pillars, dating back
to between 11th and 13th centuries. Interestingly, the excavation is being
carried out by the villagers and leaders of the Digambar and Shwetambar
Jain sects after the Gujarat State Archaeology Department (GSAD) refused
to undertake it.
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PAST REVISITED: The
temple (above left) is
believed to have been
buried under lime to
protect it from invaders;
some of the recovered
figures (above); and a
finely carved pillar
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More temples are believed to be buried in what
appears to be a massive complex. According to M.V. Joshi, superintendent
archaeologist with the GSAD, there is every likelihood of smaller temples
lying buried under the partially excavated mound because in the Jain tradition
temples were built in groups of 24, 52 or 72.
Professor Subhash Brahmbhat, principal of the
HK Arts College in Ahmedabad and an expert on Indian culture and iconography,
says Hindu gods and goddesses have been regarded as protectors by the
Jains. Hence figures of Hindu gods in a Jain temple are common. While
the upper portion of the sandstone temple, including the shikhar and the
dome, was found amid rubble, the lower portion is intact. The entrance
is flanked by idols of Lord Shiva (with a damru in hand) and his wife
Parvati. On the inner walls are idols of Lord Ganesh, Hanuman and Goddess
Lakshmi. Another image shows a meditating Lord Mahavir surrounded by yakshas
and yakshinis. The front has a sequence of the samudra manthan (churning
of the sea) in which two groups of elephants are shown churning the sea
with ropes.
Among the buried figures that have been extricated
are the twin idols of tirthankars Parshavanath and Supaarshavanath, carved
from a single marble stone. The idols have a cobra over their heads signifying
Jain God Dharnenda, the lord of paataal (the nether world). According
to Digambar Jain Muni Nirbhaysagarji, the idol is rare because the two
Jain tirthankars, though born in the same city, Kashi (present day Varanasi),
are rarely depicted together.
The outer wall on the southern side of the temple
has some disfigured images. The damaged idols and the fact that the entire
temple is covered with a layer of lime-which has protected the idols from
decay-hints at Muslim invasions and the subsequent efforts to protect
the temple. The attacks are believed to have taken place in 1298 A.D.
when Nusrat Khan and Ulugh Khan-generals of Delhi's Sultan Allaudin Khilji-invaded
Gujarat during the rule of the Solanki-Vaghela dynasties and ravaged many
temples. After repulsing the first attack, in which the upper portion
of the temple was destroyed, the caretakers must have buried it in a layer
of lime, a fact endorsed by Joshi.
There are other indications that steps were
taken to protect the temple from vandals. The 40-odd carved Jain idols,
which are now preserved in the local panchayat building, were found carefully
buried in sand near the temple foundation. While some idols were found
with their faces down, others stood facing each other. Says Nirbhaysagar:
"The idols were buried in a way which indicates that great care was
taken to ensure they were not damaged during excavations." Yet another
indication that the temple faced the wrath of the invaders is the discovery
of a large number of bones from near the spot where the idols were discovered,
a sign of battle.
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