Fruits of Jain Architecture
The pièce de résistance is apparantly the stunning array of Dilwara Jain Temples from the 11th-13th centuries and dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras. The hallmark of these Jain Temples (beside being one of the important pilgrimage destinations) is the cloudless translucent shell-like treatment of marble, the elegance and beauty of which can only be felt after seeing them. The architecture is marked by carvings that are not just ethereally beautiful in form but are often presented in a highly poetic context. For instance, look at one of those marble nayikas (maidens), carved on the walls of the sanctum, depicted as having just emerged from her bath. Droplets falling from her long hair are shown being drunk by a swan sitting at her feet. Mesmerizing, isn't it? Surely indeed these places of worship has given a new birth to marble architecture in Indian history. Each nook and corner of the Dilwara temples are so magnificently carved that it's a wonder that the effigy was created out of a single plain stone.
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