The ancient and medieval architecture of India: a study of Indo-Aryan civilisation

68

THE AIHOLE

TEMPLE

It is somewhat

remarkable that

this temple

belonged

apparently tothe
Jain

sect: it

was an

exception to

the rule

that the Jains in

theirtemple-building

kept

to the

orthodox

Brahmanical types, as

their

individualistic ritual

demanded.

Possibly, however, their

ancient ritual

differed

from modern

practice,andresembledthat

oftheBuddhists

more

closelythan

it does now. But, inany case,

in this temple

a hall of the

Sangha is provided, as if for an

order of

devotees distinct

from

the lay community.' The

plan drawn by

Dr. Burgess

(fig.

29)

showsthechaitya-cell

placed

inapillared

hall,withapradakshini

procession-path

roundthe

shrineforthosewhohad

admittancetothe

chapter-

house. Outsideisanotherone

forlayworshippers,

ina

verandah—the roofofwhich

issupportedby

stonepiers—surroundingthe

wholebuilding. As

shownintheillustrationofit(PI.

XIV),the latter,

includingtheverandah,israisedupon

ahighplinth,

and the entrance to the hall is through a

porch

theroofofwhichissupportedbya

massiveVishnu

pillar(PI.XV). Theroofoverthe

chaitya shrine

has fallen, and the loose rubble which has been

piled round the ruins makes it difficultto deter-

minewhetheritwasasikharaoftheVishnutype,

orwhetheritwasdomedlikea Sivashrine. Thelatter might

beexpectedoverachaitya,and it issignificantthatitisknown

locallyasa Dtlrgatemple,afactwhichmakesadomed

"

Siva"

roof,

derived fromthe

sttipa,almostacertainty.

ThisAiholetempleis,

orwas,

distinguished

byits extra-

ordinarilyfinesculpture,aswillbe seen from PlatesXIV and

XV. The two

superb high

reliefs

of

flyingDevas in the last

1

The Sangha,

like other Buddhist institutions,

wasonlyanadaptationoftheor-

ganisationoftheAryan

clanstotheruleoflife

propoundedbySikiyaMuni:itwasan

Orderwithinthelarger

OrderoftheAryan

community.

Fig. 29.—Plan

of Temple

at

Aihole(fromFer-

gusson's "His-

tory"). (Scale

50

feettoIinch.)