Front or east view of the old Jain temple at Sirpur, Basim (Washim) District, Berar

Photograph of the base of the old Jain temple at Sirpur in Berar, part of the 'Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series (volume 33)' collection, taken by Robert Gill in circa 1871. Sirpur is 12 miles west of Basim and is famous for the shrine of Antariksha Parsvanatha, sacred to the Jains. At this site there is a small but ancient Jain temple that has a horizontal dome with richly carved pendants. This temple is dated by inscription to 1406. It is star-shaped in plan and its walls are decorated with panels of carved arabesque motifs. Figural sculpture is limited to detachable images placed in three interior niches of the shrine.

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The large temple from the north, Satgaon, Buldana District, Berar

Photograph of the principal temple at Satgaon in Buldana District, Berar, taken by Robert Gill in 1871, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series (volume 19: Berar, Gujarat, Madras, etc.).This view shows the temple which is built in the Hemadpanti style of the 13th century Yadava period. The temple faces west. To the east are the sanctuary and the antechamber and the hall has porticos to the north, south and west. The temple and its porticos are open with a low screen wall ornamented by dwarf pilasters with figures. The tower over the sanctuary has collapsed. The outer walls are profusely decorated with sculptures.

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Side view of the smaller temple at Kothali, Buldana District, Berar. [sic. Chintamani temple, Kothali]

This photograph showing the side of the porch of a ruinous temple at Kothali in Central India was taken by Robert Gill in 1871 and forms part of the Archaeological Survey of India Collections (India Office Series). The location is given as 'Jaypur Kotli' in Bloch's list, 14 miles north of Buldana, where there are two old temples of which this is one. The ruined sanctuary tower is constructed of brick whilst the lower portion of the sanctuary, antechamber and porch are of dressed masonry. The temple is almost entirely devoid of carved decoration, and that which is present is confined largely to non-figural motifs. The figure of Ganesh over the shrine doorway and three figures, including that of Shiva, to either side of the entrance, are exceptions to this general trend.

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Front view of old temple at Dhotra, Buldana District, Berar

This photograph was taken by Robert Gill in 1871 and is part of the Archaeological Survey of India Collections (India Office Series). This view shows the entrance to the Hindu shrine in a temple at Dhotra in Central India. There are Indian figures posed seated in the foreground to either side of the temple doorway. The temples on the site at Dhotra are built in the Hemapanti style of architecture which flourished in Central India under the Yadava dynasty in the 12th century. They consist of a sanctuary, 'mandapa' or antechamber, and a porch. The exterior is decorated with bands of mouldings but there is no figural sculpture. Henry Cousens who visited the site in 1902 commented on this group of temples that, '... There seems little doubt that these temples more or less devoid of figure sculpture upon the exterior represent the true Hemadpanti class.

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