The contribution of Jain art to mainstream art in India has been considerable. Every phase of Indian art is represented by a Jain version, each worthy of meticulous study and understanding. While Jain architecture initially started as an offshoot of Hindu and Buddhist styles, it developed its own distinct characteristics over time.
Chamukh temple of Adinath
In the initial years, many Jain temples were built alongside Buddhist temples, often following the Buddhist rock-cut style. Early temples were primarily carved from rock faces, sometimes incorporating brick elements. Later, Jains started building temple cities on hills, representing “mountains of immortality.” These temple cities were divided into wards, guarded by massive bastions at their ends, with fortified gateways as the main entrances. These cities were not built on a specific plan but resulted from sporadic construction that took advantage of the natural levels of the hills. A unique feature of Jain architecture is the frequent occurrence of “chamukhs” or four-faced temples, in which the image of a Tirthankara faces each of the four sides, or four Tirthankaras are placed back-to-back to face the cardinal directions. The Chamukh Temple of Adinatha at Ranakpur (1439 A.D>) is a characteristic example of a four-door temple.
The great Jain temples and sculptured monuments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan are world-renowned. The most spectacular are found at Ranakpur and Mount Abu in Rajasthan. Deogarh (Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh), Ellora, Badami, and Aihole also house important specimens of Jain art and architecture.