page_title: Girnar Jain temples
section_title: Vastupala-vihara
hierarchical_section_title: Girnar Jain temples / Jain Temples / Vastupala-vihara
caption_attribution_description: Identifier: handbooktravelle00john Title: A handbook for travellers in India, Burma, and Ceylon . Year: 1911 (1910s) Authors: John Murray (Firm) Subjects: India -- Guidebooks Burma -- Guidebooks Sri Lanka -- Guidebooks Publisher: London&#160;: J. Murray Calcutta&#160;: Thacker, Spink, &amp; Co. Contributing Library: University of California Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: MSN View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: the gate,the large enclosure of the temples ie 156 ROUTE II. FROM AHMEDABAD THROUGH KATHIAWAR India on the left, while to the right is theold granite temple of Alan Singh,Bhoja Raja of Cutch, and fartheron the much larger one of Vastiipala(see below). Built into the wall onthe left of the entrance is an inscrip-tion in Sanscrit. Some 16 Jaintemples here form a sort of fort onthe ledge at the top of the greatcliff, but still 600 ft. below thesummit. The largest temple is thatof Noimath (see plan, p. 154) stand-ing in a cjuadrangular court 195 x porch overhanging the perpendicularscarp. On two of the pillars of themandapam are inscriptions dated1275, 1281, and 1278—dates of re-storation, when Mr Burgess says itwas covered with a coating of chunam,and adorned with coats of white-wash within. The enclosure isnearly surrounded inside by 70 cells,each enshrining a marble image, witha covered passage in front of themlighted by a perforated stone screen.The principal entrance was originally Text Appearing After Image: Temple of Tejahpala and Vastupala, Girnar. 130 ft. It consists of two halls (withtwo porches, called by the Hindusmandapams), and a shrine, whichcontains a large black image ofNcmnalh, the 22d Tirthankar, withmassive gold ornaments and jewels.Round the shrine is a passage withmany images in white marble. Be-tween the outer and inner halls aretwo shrines. The outer hall has twosmall raised platforms paved withslabs of yellow stone, covered withrepresentations of feet in pairs, whichrepresent the 2452 feet of the firstdisciples. On the W. of this is a on the E. side of the court; but it isnow closed, and the entrance fromthe court in Khengars Palace is thatnow used. There is a passage lead-ing into a low dark temple, withgranite pillars in lines. Opposite theentrance is a recess contaming twolarge black images&#160;; in the back ofthe recess is a lion rampant, andover it a crocodile in bas-relief. Be-hind these figures is a room fromwhich is a descent into a cave, witha large white marble im Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.
context_page_description: The group temples of Jainism are situated on the Mount Girnar situated near Junagadh in Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. There temples are sacred to the Digambara and the Svetambara branches of Jainism.
context_section_description: Vastupala-vihara is a triple temple, the central fane measuring 53 feet by 29​¹⁄₂ has two domes and finely carved but much mutilated and the shrine which is 13 feet square with a large niche or gokhla on the left side contains an image of Mallinatha. Beneath the image is the inscription mentioning Vastupala and his family members.
  On either side this central temple, there is a large hall about 38 feet 6 inches from door to door containing a remarkable solid pile of masonry called a samovasarana that on the north side named Sumeru having a square base and the other Sameta Sikhara with a nearly circular one. Each rises in four tiers of diminishing width almost to the roof and is surmounted by a small square canopy over images. The upper tiers are reached by steps arranged for the purpose. On the outside of the shrine tower are three small niches in which images have been placed and there are stone ladders up to the niches to enable the pujaris to reach them. The temple was completed in 1232 CE. There are six large inscriptions of Vastupala in the temple dated VS 1288. Originally Shatrunjayavatara Adinatha was the central deity of the temple. The roofs of temple were rebuilt in the 15th century.
  There is another temple on the cliff behind the Vastupala-vihara which is now known as Gumasta temple. The temple was built by Vastupala and was dedicated to Marudevi. Another shrine behind Vastupala-vihara is dedicated to Kapardi Yaksha.
caption: Plan of Vastupala-vihara
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