{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O63712"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O63712/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BF3312/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BF3312/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BF3312","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AD0460","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AD0445","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AD0444","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O63712/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O63712","accessionNumber":"IM.53 to 55-1916","objectType":"Architectural fragment","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Portion of a temple<i> illika-torana</i> (cusped arch), which came from a now ruined Jain temple complex at Shatrunjaya, next to the town of Palitana, Gujarat. Produced during the reign of the Solanki dynasty between the 11th-12th centuries. This architectural fragment comprises five whole and two broken half cusps of a <i>torana</i> arch. The central bands are carved in high relief with a row of sword-carrying figures in contorted positions, perhaps representing <i>vidyadharas (</i>mythical beings with magical knowledge).  This band is outlined with rope mouldings, which emphasize the curves of the cusps and spring from deeply drilled squared-off foliate motifs on a flat plane.  The top and bottom edges have similarly-carved cavetto borders of flame and petal mouldings. There are also fragmentary remains of pierced foliage decoration on the undersides of the cusping, above and in front of which there are fragments of a dependent decorative band.  On top, in the interstices between the cusps, there are leonine<i> kirttimukha</i> (face of glory) heads.","physicalDescription":"The architectural fragment comprises five whole and two broken half cusps of a <i>torana</i> arch. The central bands are carved in high relief with a row of sword-carrying <i>vidyadharas </i>in contorted positions.  This band is outlined with rope mouldings that emphasize the curves of the cusps, and spring from deeply drilled squared-off foliate motifs on a flat plane. The top and bottom edges have similarly carved cavetto borders of flame and petal mouldings. There are also fragmentary remains of pierced foliage decoration on the undersides of the cusping, above and in front of which there are fragments of a dependent decorative band. On top, in the interstices between the cusps, there are leonine <i>kirttimukha </i>(face of glory) heads.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Buff coloured sandstone","categories":[{"text":"Architecture","id":"THES48993"},{"text":"Religion","id":"THES48900"},{"text":"Jain","id":"THES49013"}],"styles":[{"text":"solanki","id":"AAT18927"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2006BF3312","2006AD0460","2006AD0445","2006AD0444"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"BY005","id":"THES404116"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"BY005","id":"THES404116"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"BY005","id":"THES404116"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Arch","id":""}],[{"text":"Arch","id":""}],[{"text":"Arch","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Palitana","id":"x34680"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"From the temple complex at Shatrunjaya, next to the town of Palitana, Gujarat."}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"11th century-12th century","earliest":"1000-01-01","latest":"1199-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"MA/1/A772","id":"ARC147077"},"association":"Archive record"}],"creditLine":"Given by the Architectural Association, Royal Architectural Museum, 37 Great Smith Street, Westminster, S.W.;;;","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"100","unit":"cm","qualifier":"approx.","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"177","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"20.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Given by the Architectural Association, to which this and 51 related architectural pieces from ruined temples devastated by Muslim raiders in the 14th and 15th centuries on the twin summits of Mount Shatrunjaya, Palitana in Gujarat, IM 53-112-1916, had been presented by Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, Ist baronet, G.C.B, C.C.S.I. (1815-1884), former Governor of Bombay, in 1877.\r\n  As John Guy writes in The Peaceful Liberators (see reference below) the high degree of stylistic uniformity suggests that these pieces were collected from a single temple, or at least from sites that were contemporary.  They are related to known Solanki dynasty temples of the 11th and 12th centuries: inscriptions record that endowments were made to the Shatrunjaya temples during the reign of Siddharaja Jayasimha (1095-1142), a Solanki ruler renowned for his patronage.\r\n\r\n\r\nGiven by the Architectural Association, Royal Architectural Museum, 37 Great Smith Street, Westminster, S.W. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.\r\n\r\nR.P. 1915-3836M and R.P. 1916-2270M","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Portion of a temple <i>illika-torana</i> (cusped arch), Palitana, Gujarat, 11 century - 12th century","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Dhar, Parul Pandya, <i>The Torana in Indian and Southeast Asian Architecture</i>, D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd, New Delhi, 2010, p.130. Dhar postulates that these <i>torana</i> fragments appear to fit the missing <i>torana</i> spaces in the Somesvara Temple at Kiradu in the Barmer District of Rajasthan, but the historical and archival evidence appears to support John Guy's attribution to Palitana."},{"reference":{"text":"Barnard, Nick, Arts of Asia, Vol. no. 46, no 1, \"The Jain Collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum\". January-February 2016","id":"AUTH338189"},"details":"p. 97, no. 5.","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"In the image of man : the Indian perception of the universe through 2000 years of painting and sculpture : [exhibition / organized by Catherine Lampert assisted by Rosalie Cass]. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson :in association with the Arts Council of Great Britain, 1982 Number: 0297780719, 0297781243 (pbk.)","id":"AUTH339940"},"details":"p. 117, cat. no. 82","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Pal, Pratapaditya Dr. (Ed.) <i>The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India</i>, New York and London, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and V&A, 1995","id":"AUTH353257"},"details":"p.107","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[{"text":"Jain","id":"x32296"}],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"\f\r\nArch from a Jain Temple\r\n\r\n1000–1200 \r\n\r\nThis comes from a ruined temple on Shatrunjaya Hill,\r\nwhere there is a famous group of over 800 Jain temples.\r\nIt is one of a collection of elaborately carved architectural \r\nfragments found around 1860. Many of the temples \r\nhad been destroyed by invaders in the medieval period,\r\nbut they were later rebuilt and Shatrunjaya remains an \r\nimportant pilgrimage site. \r\n\r\nSandstone \r\nWestern India (Shatrunjaya Hill, Palitana, Gujarat) \r\n\r\n\r\nGiven by the Architectural Association\r\nMuseum nos. IM.53 to 55-1916 \r\n","date":{"text":"06/06/2011","earliest":"2011-06-06","latest":"2011-06-06"}}],"partNumbers":["IM.53-1916","IM.54-1916","IM.55-1916"],"accessionNumberNum":"53","accessionNumberPrefix":"IM","accessionYear":1916,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Arch [1]","Arch [2]","Arch [3]"],"assets":["2026PP9881"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-07-14","recordCreationDate":"2001-12-13","availableToBook":false}}