Palitana is renowned for its Jain temple complex on Shatrunjaya hills, which showcases rich temple art and architecture that Jain tradition preserves with great devotion. The main artforms you typically find there are:

• Marble temple architecture: Exquisitely carved white marble temples with elegant shikharas (spire tops), clean lines, and harmonious proportions. The temples are arranged along broad pradakshina (circumambulation) paths that pilgrims walk as part of worship.

• Sculptural work and reliefs: Intricate stone reliefs and friezes depict Tirthankaras, divine beings, lotus motifs, celestial flora and fauna, and symbolic scenes from Jain cosmology. The carvings emphasize serenity, moral virtues, and the jain ideal of non-violence.

• Iconography of Tirthankaras: Main temples house polished idols (murti) of Tirthankaras, with careful attention to posture (asana), hand gestures (mudras), and attributes that convey the spiritual teaching of each Tirthankara.

• Pillars and lattice work: Columns and jaali (lattice screens) feature delicate geometric patterns and floral designs, contributing to a play of light and shade inside sanctified spaces.

• Mandaps and ritual spaces: Assembly halls (mandaps) and sanctums are decorated with carved panels, archways, and ceremonial spaces that support processions, prayers, and rituals central to Jain worship.

• Finishes and ceremonial decoration: The surfaces often use polishes and occasional gold plating or gilding in certain sanctums, reflecting devotion and the auspicious nature of the spaces.

• Monastic and devotional art: Temples around Palitana also include shrines and smaller chaityas (prayer halls) with painted or sculpted panels illustrating jain stories, moral themes, and the lives of revered monks and nuns.

Important notes:

• There are differences in style and emphasis between Digambar and Shwetambar traditions in some decorative motifs, idol forms, and ritual layouts. The core aim, however, remains the same: to inspire detachment, reverence for all life, and adherence to non-violence.

If you’d like, I can point to a Jain Dharma source that discusses Palitana’s temple art in more detail and in authentic Jain terms.