Rajasthan is known for its fine paintings, there is also no escaping the overwhelming presence of the fantastic sculptural art of Rajasthan. During the medieval period the Rajasthani sculptural art took the ultimate boom, it was lavished on palaces and forts, in temples and step-walls, and even in the havelis or townhouses of the merchants and traders.
There are two ways to examine the issue of the sculptor’s art – as an architectural embellishment, and as standalone work. It is important to remember that stand alone art had little use in Rajasthan, and figures were carved either for enshrining in temples, or sculpture was part of the great design of architecture. Religious icons are almost carved from marble and the Makrana marble mines, close to Jaipur, have supplied the marble for these for centuries together. Even today, for most shrines in India, images continue to be carved in Jaipur where religious iconography has developed into a fine art.
The fantastic sculptural art form is predominantly visible in the Jain temples and monuments in Rajasthan. The fluid expression of Jain architectural extravaganza remains in Rajasthan without a parallel in India. The Jain community is a small one but it found patrons in the Rajput kingdoms where, besides trading activities, the Jains were able to serve in the courts as capable administrators and ministers. In turn, the royal families showed their gratitude in permitting the Jains to build temples to their faith. Jain temple architecture is characterised by its profusion of sculpturing. The stone is moulded, chiselled, scooped out, and developed so that each grain becomes a part of the grand design of the temple. Pillars were carved differently so there is no one similar to another.
The best examples of Jain temples in Rajasthan are at Mount Abu and Ranakpur. Mount Abu’s Dilwara Temples contain four principle shrines and are housed together. Dated between the 11th and 12th centuries, the temples must have used all their administrative skills given that just one, the Vimala Vasahi, took 14 years to build, and used the labours of 1,200 labourers and 1,500 stone masons. Ranakpur is located 100 km from Udaipur, the temples are among the most beautiful raised by the Jains in the country. At the heart of the complex is the temple of Adinath, one of the largest, most extensive, and characterised by it excess and profusion of sculpture.
There are two ways to examine the issue of the sculptor’s art – as an architectural embellishment, and as standalone work. It is important to remember that stand alone art had little use in Rajasthan, and figures were carved either for enshrining in temples, or sculpture was part of the great design of architecture. Religious icons are almost carved from marble and the Makrana marble mines, close to Jaipur, have supplied the marble for these for centuries together. Even today, for most shrines in India, images continue to be carved in Jaipur where religious iconography has developed into a fine art.
The fantastic sculptural art form is predominantly visible in the Jain temples and monuments in Rajasthan. The fluid expression of Jain architectural extravaganza remains in Rajasthan without a parallel in India. The Jain community is a small one but it found patrons in the Rajput kingdoms where, besides trading activities, the Jains were able to serve in the courts as capable administrators and ministers. In turn, the royal families showed their gratitude in permitting the Jains to build temples to their faith. Jain temple architecture is characterised by its profusion of sculpturing. The stone is moulded, chiselled, scooped out, and developed so that each grain becomes a part of the grand design of the temple. Pillars were carved differently so there is no one similar to another.
The best examples of Jain temples in Rajasthan are at Mount Abu and Ranakpur. Mount Abu’s Dilwara Temples contain four principle shrines and are housed together. Dated between the 11th and 12th centuries, the temples must have used all their administrative skills given that just one, the Vimala Vasahi, took 14 years to build, and used the labours of 1,200 labourers and 1,500 stone masons. Ranakpur is located 100 km from Udaipur, the temples are among the most beautiful raised by the Jains in the country. At the heart of the complex is the temple of Adinath, one of the largest, most extensive, and characterised by it excess and profusion of sculpture.
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