Veer Singh was succeeded by Uddharan Dev, Veeram Dev, Ganapati Dev, Dungar Singh Dev, Keerti Singh, Kalyan Mall, Man Singh and Vikramaditya, who was the last ruler from Tomar Dynasty. Gwalior saw a very peaceful time during the period in which Tomars ruled the area. The most important monuments that have been found till now, from the pre Man Singh period, are the very striking Jain monuments on face rock faces of the Fort Hill. Although Tomars were Hindu kings, Jain shrines and monuments are the testimony to the secular nature of Gwalior. Although they were funded by the wealthy Jain merchants of that time and not commissioned by the King, it shows that people from any religion enjoyed equality and prosperity.
The Jain shrines, which are about 100 in number, including large and small, were surprisingly made in a relatively short period of 33 years, between 1441 and 1474. The shrines are mainly in two clusters, one on the south east face of the Fort rock, the other on the way to West gate called Urwahi. These shrines are made of large sized statues of Jain "Tirthankaras", accompanied with enclosures and other smaller statues of Jain Gods, prophets. In Jainism, a Tirthankara is a human being who helps in achieving liberation and enlightenment as an "Arihant" by destroying all of their soul constraining karmas, became a role-model and leader for those seeking spiritual guidance.
The beautiful large shrines and their deities are carved into the stone of the hill. One of the colossal figures is 57 ft (17 m) high, taller than any other in northern India. The rock cut sculptures although were made as Jain religious relics, adorn the faces of the Fort hill and are enjoyed by all.
No comments:
Post a Comment
your comments are always welcome.