Every home in Rajasthan has its deities, every village has its shrines and every faith has its gods - whether Hindu, Islamic, or Jain, in the nature of gurus, or as the cosmos itself. Yet, between them, there has always been a sense of harmony. The holy sites beside being a seat for religious exuberance, are also being used as a meeting place of the people, not only at the time of religious celebrations, but even otherwise. The temples are, often, exquisitely carved and sculptured, for the Rajputs shared their faith, and land, by creating temples and mosques of great beauty. The temples of Rajasthan reflect the great architectural movement that gripped the entire state from 8th to 11th century was really a later flowering of the virile development inspired by the Guptas during the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries. The 8th and 9th century also saw new styles of temples emerging from the Gurjara Pratihara dynasty from Mandore. Temples built around this time also include temples at Chittorgarh and Osiyan in western Rajasthan. The familiar feature of these temples is single sikhara or spire and intricately carved outer chamber called the mandup before the inner sanctum. Temples of Rajasthan are living testimony to the virile artistic talent of Rajasthan. The notable among these are: Dilwara Temples, Someshvara Temple, Mahavira Temple and Kalki Mata Temple. The 10th century saw the constructions of many splendid Jain Temple, notable amongst them are the Dilwara Temples at Mt Abu, Mahavira Temple at Ghanerao in southern Rajasthan and Ranakpur near Udaipur. It features a series of mandupas decorated with intricate carving giving a breath taking symmetry. A group of Jain Temples at Jaisalmer are also noteworthy. |
