The Meguti Jain temple is on the level-topped Meguti hill, surrounded by the Aihole fort. The north-facing temple is dedicated to a Jain Tirthankara Mahavira.The word “Meguti” is a corruption of the word “Megudi” and means “upper temple”. The temple has an open portico, leading the devotee into a mandapa and the sanctum. The entire temple sits on a raised platform like many of the Hindu temples in the village.However, the layout inside is distinct.It has a pillared square mukhya-mandapa (main hall), which enters into a narrower square antarala divided into two compartments at different levels.A stair connects the slightly higher level, which leads to the larger square-shaped chamber and sanctum.This section consists of two concentric squares,the inner square being the sanctum, and the space between the outer square and inner square being the pradakshina patha (circumambulation path).However, in the back of this path, a later construction sealed the circumambulation passage,making it more suitable for storage.
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