Kirti Toran are two torana (ornamental gateways) located in Vadnagar in Mehsana district, Gujarat, India. Built in the 12th-century, they are examples of Maru-Gurjara architecture.
Kirti Toran are two torana (ornamental gateways) located in Vadnagar in Mehsana district, Gujarat, India. Built in the 12th-century, they are examples of Maru-Gurjara architecture.
The two toranas belong to the 12th-century are located just north of the walled town. They stand on the bank of the Sharmistha Lake. [1] [2] The one to the east is in better condition and has been used as a symbol of Gujarat in recent times. Initially, one torana was intact while the other was ruined. The ruined one was re-erected in 2007 by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). [1] [2] The toranas might have served as an entrance to a large temple complex, but no remains of such have been found till date. [3] [2] It is the Monument of National Importance protected by the ASI.
The toranas, a pair of columns supporting an arch, about 40 feet (12 m) tall, built in red and yellow sandstone. Both of them face the east with few houses in between them now. They are among the few surviving examples of the entrance gates, once a regular feature of the architecture of Gujarat in the Solanki period (Māru-Gurjara architecture). The carving style of them is similar to the Rudra Mahalaya Temple at Siddhpur. Perhaps erected after a war victory, the architecture is embellished with carvings of battle and hunting scenes. Their pillars and arches are decorated with lozenges at the base and geometric and floral designs (i.e., leaves, creepers and lotus), animal motifs, human figures engaged in various activities, and divine figures in different poses. The top bears an image of a seated god Kartikeya flanked by Ganesh and Makara (a griffin), from which spring arches. A number of standing female figures also ornament the top. [1] [2]
A torana is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia. Chinese Shanmen gateways, Japanese torii gateways, Korean Iljumun and Hongsalmun gateways, Vietnamese Tam quan gateways, and Thai Sao Ching Cha were derived from the Indian torana. They are also referred to as vandanamalikas.
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