Penukonda

Pārśvanātha Temple

The Pārśvanātha Temple has a ninth-century inscription and indicates the long association of Jainism with the site of Penukonda. The temple has two entrances to the east and to the south, as well as two main image chambers to the west and to the north. Originally, the main entrance must have been the one located in the south with the principal shrine located frontally ahead in the north. It seems that a reorientation of the temple has taken place. However, today most devotees enter the temple through what appears to have been a lateral shrine, located to the east. The former main shrine then appears as a transverse chapel and the earlier side shrine to the west is frontally approached as the main image chamber of the temple. The orientation of the main icon (mūla-nāyaka) towards the east, facing the rising sun, is more in tune with Jaina temples elsewhere, although there are many exceptions at other sites too.