page_title: Vaghela dynasty
section_title: Cultural contributions
hierarchical_section_title: Vaghela dynasty / Cultural contributions
caption_attribution_description: English: Identifier: winterindia00scid Title: Winter India Year: 1903 (1900s) Authors: Scidmore, Eliza Ruhamah, 1856-1928 Subjects: India -- Description and travel Publisher: New York&#160;: The Century 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: y greenand thriving crops, and groups of palms in everyvista. Violets bloomed by the dak banglas door-steps, where a fine old Idiansamah greeted us andgave us tea with Goanese guava jelly on crisp toastin a warm room. Mount Abu is the headquarters of the residentwho rules the seventeen Rajput principalities, andfrom him we secured a permit to visit the Jain tem-ples. The Jains are the last of the Buddhists leftin India and their creed is still closely akin to thatGautama devised for his people, although their ob-servance of caste is contrary to the fundamentalprinciple of Buddhism. A Rajput officer in Euro-pean coat, draped dhotee, and a sword as his badgeof race and rank, with a red-coated chuprassyfrom the Residency, escorted us the next morningthe two miles to the Dilwarra shrines. The guardat the temple gate hurriedly wound himself intohis kamarband, set his turban straight, and, shoul-dering his carbine, paced the flags energeticallywhile we waited for the permits to be examined. Text Appearing After Image: MOUNT ABU AND AHMEDABAD 361 Another red coat and yellow turban came, and thethree guided us around the two Jain temples, whichare the most elaborately carved and decoratedshrines in India. They were built in the eleventhand twelfth centuries, and the marble was broughtfrom quarries twelve miles away and carved to frost-and lace-like fineness. Marble cloisters whose alcove chapels containseated images of the tirthankars, or Jain saints, sur-round an inner court holding the elaborately con-structed and decorated central shrine and altar.One marvels as much at the perfect preservationas at the minute, lavish ornamentation; and forthe preservation the Rajputs have to thank the Eng-lish. In the central domical halls of both templesthe columns, arches, struts, trusses, beams, centralpanels, and altar-fronts are covered with myriads oftiny figures and bands of conventional ornament infull and low relief, a marble filigree-work surpass-ing anything to be seen elsewhere. Scenes from thelives o 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 Vaghela dynasty was a short-lived Indian dynasty that ruled Gujarat from its capital of Dholka in the 13th century CE. The Vaghelas were the last Hindu monarchs to rule large parts of Gujarat, before the Muslim conquest of the region. Medieval bardic literature includes them among the Agnivashi Rajput dynasties.
  Early members of the Vaghela family served the Chaulukyas in the 12th century CE, and claimed to be a branch of that dynasty. In the 13th century, during the reign of the weak Chaulukya king Bhima II, the Vaghela general Lavanaprasada and his son Viradhavala became very powerful, although they continued to nominally acknowledge the Chaulukya suzerainty. In the mid-1240s, Viradhavala's son Visaladeva usurped the throne. His successors ruled Gujarat until Karna was defeated by Alauddin Khalji of Delhi Sultanate in 1304 CE.
context_section_description: A number of temples were built during their reign by wealthy merchants and ministers, Vastupala and Tejapala who also served as ministers and generals, including one of Dilwara Temples at Mount Abu and Girnar Jain temples. In fact, Kirtikaumudi, the biography of Vastupala, written by Someshvara (1179-1262), a royal priest, is also an important source of the history of the dynasty. Visala-deva constructed or restored the fort of Dharbhavati (Dabhoi) which is well known for its elaborate carvings and gates. He built pratolis, temples and vapis in Darbhavati (Dabhoi) completed by about 1255 CE. Of its four gates, Hira Bhagol (with its adjacent temples) may have been built during Visaladeva's reign while three other gates may have been built by Tejapala, as indicated in Jain prabandhas. The Satmukhi stepwell in Dabhoi is a temple built over a tank with seven wells ascribed to him.
  The Ra Khengar stepwell between Vanthali and Junagadh is stated to be constructed by Tejapala. The Madhavav in Wadhwan was built in 1294 AD (Vikram Samvat 1350) by Nagar Brahmin Madhav and Keshav, the ministers in court of the last Vaghela ruler Karna. The kunda at Kapadvanj was built about this period. The Batris Kotha stepwell in Kapadvanj may have belonged to the 13th century due to its similarity with the  Madha and Vikia stepwells.
caption: Ceiling of one of Dilwara Jain Temples
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