Friday, August 8, 2008

Dilwara Temples at Mount Abu, Rajasthan


It is a well known fact that the art & architecture of a country reflect its intensity of religious devotion as well as economic prospreity, without which great & elaborately carved temples could not have been raised.In every phase of Indian history,art & architecture found supporters in rich merchants and Princes who spend lavishly on the commemoration of their religious beliefs.Gujarat and Rajasthan,the traditional centers of the merchants and Princes,also became centers of great architectural activity,in which Vimala Shah, Vastupala and Tejapala contributed immensely to Jain art and architecture.
The Jain Temples at Mount Abu, built in the Nagara Style are among the finest monuments of India. The first of these ornate temples dates back to 1032 CE, approximately the period in which the grand Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur in Tamilnadu (South India) was built in the Dravidian style of architecture . The Dilwara temples have been described as a dream in marble. Mount Abu - a popular hill station, located in Rajasthan is on the Ahmedabad - Jaipur - New Delhi railroad, off of Abu Road, the nearest railhead. Other attractions here include the Nakki lake, the Adhar Devi temple, Achalgarh Shiva temple and the Gau Mukh Shiva temple. P. Ramakrishnan (Mumbai, India) takes us on an illustrated tour of these temples.

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