The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c7.45

c7.45

When Chālukyan temples first attracted attention it was assumed that the majority of them were Jaina, and that sect were credited with a great deal more than their fair share in their erection. But this was a mistake; the great majority were Brahmāṇical. The old Jaina temples are so distinctly Jaina that a careful observer on the spot has little trouble in recognizing them, even when in the possession and use of other sects. Before the days of dry plate photography, when the long exposures required by the old process made it practically impossible to get views of the interiors, one had to be content, in the absence of a personal acquaintance with these buildings, to draw one's conclusions from views of exteriors only. Again, it was considered that the little group of Gaja-Lakshmi,¹ when it occurred upon the dedicatory block over a temple door, was a sure sign that the temple was a Jaina one. That is not so, for she was a general favourite both with Jains and Hindus, who gave her the place of honour over their doors impartially; but, while she may be found over the outer door of a Jaina temple, she is never seen presiding over the shrine door, this position being reserved for an image of a Jina. In Hindu temples she may or may not be found over shrine doors.