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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
South Asian Sculpture, Room 47b

Architectural Fragment

11th century-12th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Portion of a temple illika-torana (cusped arch), which came from a now ruined Jain temple complex at Shatrunjaya, next to the town of Palitana, Gujarat. Produced during the reign of the Solanki dynasty between the 11th-12th centuries. This architectural fragment comprises five whole and two broken half cusps of a torana arch. The central bands are carved in high relief with a row of sword-carrying figures in contorted positions, perhaps representing vidyadharas (mythical beings with magical knowledge). This band is outlined with rope mouldings, which emphasize the curves of the cusps and spring from deeply drilled squared-off foliate motifs on a flat plane. The top and bottom edges have similarly-carved cavetto borders of flame and petal mouldings. There are also fragmentary remains of pierced foliage decoration on the undersides of the cusping, above and in front of which there are fragments of a dependent decorative band. On top, in the interstices between the cusps, there are leonine kirttimukha (face of glory) heads.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Arch
  • Arch
  • Arch
Materials and techniques
Buff coloured sandstone
Brief description
Portion of a temple illika-torana (cusped arch), Palitana, Gujarat, 11 century - 12th century
Physical description
The architectural fragment comprises five whole and two broken half cusps of a torana arch. The central bands are carved in high relief with a row of sword-carrying vidyadharas in contorted positions. This band is outlined with rope mouldings that emphasize the curves of the cusps, and spring from deeply drilled squared-off foliate motifs on a flat plane. The top and bottom edges have similarly carved cavetto borders of flame and petal mouldings. There are also fragmentary remains of pierced foliage decoration on the undersides of the cusping, above and in front of which there are fragments of a dependent decorative band. On top, in the interstices between the cusps, there are leonine kirttimukha (face of glory) heads.
Dimensions
  • Height: 51.5cm
  • Width: 26.7cm
  • Depth: 14cm
Style
Gallery label
Arch from a Jain Temple 1000–1200 This comes from a ruined temple on Shatrunjaya Hill, where there is a famous group of over 800 Jain temples. It is one of a collection of elaborately carved architectural fragments found around 1860. Many of the temples had been destroyed by invaders in the medieval period, but they were later rebuilt and Shatrunjaya remains an important pilgrimage site. Sandstone Western India (Shatrunjaya Hill, Palitana, Gujarat) Given by the Architectural Association Museum nos. IM.53 to 55-1916 (06/06/2011)
Credit line
Given by the Architectural Association, Royal Architectural Museum, 37 Great Smith Street, Westminster, S.W.;;;
Object history
Given by the Architectural Association, to which this and 51 related architectural pieces from ruined temples devastated by Muslim raiders in the 14th and 15th centuries on the twin summits of Mount Shatrunjaya, Palitana in Gujarat, IM 53-112-1916, had been presented by Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, Ist baronet, G.C.B, C.C.S.I. (1815-1884), former Governor of Bombay, in 1877.
As John Guy writes in The Peaceful Liberators (see reference below) the high degree of stylistic uniformity suggests that these pieces were collected from a single temple, or at least sites that were contemporary to eachother. They are related to known Solanki dynasty temples of the 11th and 12th centuries, and inscriptions record that endowments were made to the Shatrunjaya temples during the reign of Siddharaja Jayasimha (1095-1142), a Solanki ruler renowned for his patronage.
Subject depicted
Summary
Portion of a temple illika-torana (cusped arch), which came from a now ruined Jain temple complex at Shatrunjaya, next to the town of Palitana, Gujarat. Produced during the reign of the Solanki dynasty between the 11th-12th centuries. This architectural fragment comprises five whole and two broken half cusps of a torana arch. The central bands are carved in high relief with a row of sword-carrying figures in contorted positions, perhaps representing vidyadharas (mythical beings with magical knowledge). This band is outlined with rope mouldings, which emphasize the curves of the cusps and spring from deeply drilled squared-off foliate motifs on a flat plane. The top and bottom edges have similarly-carved cavetto borders of flame and petal mouldings. There are also fragmentary remains of pierced foliage decoration on the undersides of the cusping, above and in front of which there are fragments of a dependent decorative band. On top, in the interstices between the cusps, there are leonine kirttimukha (face of glory) heads.
Bibliographic references
  • Dhar, Parul Pandya, The Torana in Indian and Southeast Asian Architecture, D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd, New Delhi, 2010, p.130. Dhar postulates that these torana fragments appear to fit the missing torana spaces in the Somesvara Temple at Kiradu in the Barmer District of Rajasthan, but the historical and archival evidence appears to support John Guy's attribution to Palitana.
  • Barnard, Nick, Arts of Asia, Vol. no. 46, no 1, "The Jain Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum". January-February 2016 p. 97, no. 5.
  • In the image of man : the Indian perception of the universe through 2000 years of painting and sculpture : [exhibition / organized by Catherine Lampert assisted by Rosalie Cass]. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson :in association with the Arts Council of Great Britain, 1982 Number: 0297780719, 0297781243 (pbk.) p. 117, cat. no. 82
  • Pal, Pratapaditya Dr. (Ed.) The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, New York and London, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and V&A, 1995 p.107
Collection
Accession number
IM.53 to 55-1916

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Record createdDecember 13, 2001
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