Maru-Gurjara or Solanki Style

Solanki Style Temple

Origin: It originated in the Rajasthan region around the 6^th century CE.

• The name comes from the ancient names of Rajasthan (Marudesh) and Gujarat (Gurjaratra).

• It consists of two styles:

  1. Maha-Maru style – developed around Marudesa, Sapadalaska, Sursena and parts of Uparamala

  2. Maru-Gurjara style – developed around Medapata, Gurjaradesa-Arbuda, Gurjaradesa-Anarta and some areas of Gujarat.

• The Maru-Gurjara style reached its zenith under the Solanki rulers of Gujarat.

Features of Solanki Style Temple:

1. 1. 1. Based on the nagara style of architecture. The shikhara has a curvilinear shape.

      2. In later examples, free-standing kirti-toranas and a kunda or a temple tank could be found at the front of the temples.

      3. It started as a regional form but soon acquired supra-regional dimensions.

      4. Sculpture:

         • The tangled carvings on the walls of the temples demonstrate that the art of sculpture had attained its height.

         • The heavy carvings on the ceilings of the Mandapa create a distinctive style of these temples.

           Fig: Mandapa ceiling in the Ranakpur Jain Temple (Image source: Wikipedia)

           • • • The decorative themes include lines of horse riders, elephants, and kīrttimukhas.

               • No surface is left undecorated.

               • The heavy sculptural treatment of the architecture indicates a link between Maru-Gurjara architecture and Hoysala temple architecture.

               • They also share many similarities with the Khajuraho temples.

Examples of Solanki Style Temple:

1. Jain temple at Mt. Abu (Vimalvashai and Lunavashai temple).

   • Built by Chaulukyan ruler Bhimas of Gujarat. He was a writer, a sentinel of scholars.

2. Navlakha Temple, Ghumli Gujarat

3. Sun temple of Modhera

4. Rudra Mahalaya Temple in Siddhpur, Gujarat.

5. Rani-ki-vav, Patan in Gujarat

6. 80-foot Kirti Stambha tower in Chittor Fort, Rajasthan.

   Fig: Jain Kirti Stambha tower, Chittor Fort (Image Source: Wikipedia)

Ranakpur Jain temple, 15^th century