Akkana Basadi, Shravanabelagola
Akkana Basadi | |
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Jain temple (Hoysala style) | |
Akkana Basadi (1181 A.D.) at Shravanabelagola town
Akkana Basadi (1181 A.D.) at Shravanabelagola town
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Country | India |
State | Karnataka |
District | Hassan District |
Languages | |
• Official | Kannada |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
PIN | 573135 |
Akkana Basadi (lit, temple of the "elder sister", basadi is also pronounced basti) is a Jain temple built in 1181 A.D., during the rule of Hoysala empire King Veera Ballala II. The basadi was constructed by the devout Jain lady Achiyakka (also called Achala Devi), wife of Chandramouli, a Brahmin minister in the court of the Hoysala king. The main deity of the temple is the twenty-third Jain Tirthankar (saint) Parshwanath.[1][2][3] The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.[4]
Temple plan
According to art historian Adam Hardy, the basadi is a simple single shrine with superstructure (ekakuta vimana[5]) construction with a closed hall (mantapa). The material used is Soap stone.[6] The sanctum (garbhagriha) that houses the standing image of saint Parshwanath (under a seven headed snake canopy) connects to the hall via an antechamber (vestibule or sukanasi). From the outside, the entrance to the hall is through a porch whose awning is supported by lathe turned half pillars. According to art historians Percy Brown and Gerard Foekema, all these features are commonly found in Hoysala temples.[7][8] According to historian Kamath, the use of Soap stone as basic building material was a technique the Hoysalas adopted from the predecessors, the Western Chalukyas.[9] The temple which faces east is enclosed with in a bounding wall (prakara), while the entrance is from the south. Typical of a Jain basadi, the outer walls of the temple are plain, giving it an austere outlook. The temple stands on a base (adhisthana) that comprises five moldings.[2]
The tower over the shrine (shikhara) is plain. However, on a projection on the east side is a panel sculpture in relief that depicts a saint with his attendants (yaksha, the benevolent spirits) on either side and a Kirtimukha (imaginary beast) over his head. This is a work of merit. The tower comprises three tiers, each ascending tier diminishing in height. Above the third tier is a dome like structure. This is the largest sculptural piece in the temple with a ground surface area of about 2x2 meters (amalaka, "helmet" like structure). The shape of the dome usually follows that of the shrine (square or star shape).[10] The vestibule also has a short tower which looks like an extension of the main tower over the shrine. Gerard Foekema calls it the "nose" of the main tower.[11] The vestibule contains two free sculptures of the yakshas, Dharnendra and Padmavati. The door lintel and jamb of vestibule and the sanctum are decorative and have perforated screens on either side. The hall ceiling is supported by four centrally placed large lathe turned, bell shaped and polished pillars that divide the ceiling into nine "bays". The bay ceilings are rich in relief.[2][11]
Gallery
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Entrance to Akkana Basadi mantapa at Shravanebelagola.jpg
Porch entrance to Akkana Basad with the awning supported by half pillars with old Kannada inscription on the side.
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Image of Jain Tirthankar Parshwanath at Akkana Basadi in Shravanabelagola.jpg
Image of the 23rd Tirthankar Parshwanath standing under a seven headed snake canopy at Akkana Basadi
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Decorative bay ceiling in the mantapa of Akkana Basadi at Shravanabelagola.jpg
Large decorative bay ceiling in the Akkana Basadi at Shravanabelagola
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Decorative ceiling inside the Akkana Basadi at Shravanabelagola.jpg
Decorative "bay" ceiling in Akkana Basadi
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Sculpture of Yakshi Padmavathi at Akkana Basadi in Shravanabelagola.jpg
Sculpture of Yakshi Padmavathi in the temple vestibule
Notes
- ↑ Jain and Jain (1953), p.37
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ B.L. Rice (1889), p.57 (Chapter:Introduction)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Foekema (1996), p.25
- ↑ Hardy (1996), p.343
- ↑ Brown in Kamath (2001), pp.134-135
- ↑ Foekema (1996), pp.21-25
- ↑ Kamath (2001), p.136
- ↑ Foekema (1996), p.27
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Foekema (1996), p.22
References
- Gerard Foekema, A Complete Guide to Hoysala Temples, Abhinav, 1996 ISBN 81-7017-345-0
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- Adam Hardy, Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation : the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries, Abhinav, 1995 ISBN 81-7017-312-4.
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External links
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