Some Inscriptions And Images In Mount Satrunjaya

Author(s): Ambalal P Shah
Publisher: Ambalal P Shah
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/269245/1

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Some Inscriptions and Images on Mount Satruñjaya
Pandit AMBALAL PREMCHAND SHAH, Vyakaranatirtha, L. D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad
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Reprinted from the Golden Jubilee Volume, Part I, published by Shri Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya,
Bombay.

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Some Inscriptions and Images on Mount Satruñjaya
AMBALAL PREMCHAND SHAH
The age of antiquity or ancient monuments is generally inferred
from the styles of architecture and sculpture and on the basis of available inscriptions. Since the temples at Satruñjaya were renovated from time to time through many centuries very little evidence of antiquity has been left for us. For want of published old inscriptions, sculptures in temples, scholars came to believe that the temple-city of Satruñjaya could hardly claim to be earlier than or even as old as the Jaina-temples-site of Delvādā, Mount Abu.
One can see several streets and rows of temples and images on Mount Satruñjaya. A common man can hardly make any distinction between the earliest and the latest specimens of art among the hundreds and thousands of images in this temple-city, where no human habitation is allowed. But the searching eye of a historian is on the look-out for all stray old inscriptions and specimens of art.
According to literary traditions, Satruñjaya is an ancient tirtha of the Jainas. In the Jñātādharmakathā, a Jaina canonical text, it is referred to as Puņdarīkagiri.1 In later Jaina literature, this place is
1 Sūtras 55, 56, 60, pp. 109, 112. Abhayadeva, the Commentator, has
identified Pundarīkagiri with modern satruñjaya (p. 111 A).

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SOME INSCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES ON MOUNT SATRUNJAYA : 163
associated with some auspicious events in the life of Rşabha, the first Tirthankara. It is also said that a temple was dedicated to Rşabhanātha, on this mountain. Pundarīkasvāmi, the first Gañadhara of Rşabha, obtained emancipation on this sacred mountain and a memorial to him, in the form of a shrine with his image, was raised here. Since then, the mountain came to be called Puņdarikagiri.?
We shall now refer to a few images and inscriptions which throw more light on the art and antiquity of this site.
Fig. 1 illustrates a beautiful marble image of Pundarikasvāmi installed in the first cell adjacent to the staircase, beside the main entrance to chief shrine of Rşabhanātha (Adinātha) on this mountain. This sculpture, fortunately well-preserved, is about 2-5 feet in height and about 1.5 ft. broad at base. The pedestal or the lowermost part of the sculpture has an inscription in four lines. A big lotus with an ornamental long stalk springs from the top of the pedestal, and divides the whole sculpture into two sections. The upper section shows a figure of Pundarikasvāmi, sitting in the padmāsana, dhyānamudrā, on a cushion-like seat placed on the full-blown lotus. There is a back-rest whose two ends show lions supporting the horizontal bar resting on two pillars. Above are two divine garland-bearers, and on top the chatra or the umbrella. The figure of the Gañadhara could easily be mistaken for that of a Tirthankara, if the inscription had not specifically shown that it represented Pundarikasvāmi.
Below the lotus, the two sides of the stalk further form two sections, the centre being occupied by the sthāpanā". To the right of the sthāpanā sits a Jaina monk, a Guru, in the act of giving a discourse to the two disciples sitting in front, with folded hands, on the other side of the sthāpanā.
This is one of the finest examples of sculptural art of Gujarat in V. S. 1064 (=1006 A.D.), the date of the inscription. Unfortunately part of the beauty of this sculpture is marred by modern black paints,
2 For a fuller account, see Shah, Ambalal Premchand, Jaina
Tirthasarvasamgraha (in Gujarati, Ahmedabad), pp. 98-108. 3 The inscription was first published by Shah, Umakant Premanand,
in Jaina Satya-Prakāśa (Gujarati Journal, Ahmedabad) Volume 17,
No. 3, pp. 51-58. 4 For understanding the symbolism of Sthāpanā (also called Sthā
panācārya) see, Shah, U.P., Studies in Jaina Art (Banaras, 1955), pp. 113-115.

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glass eyes, and studded metal pieces on different parts of the body of Puņdarīkasvāmi and the two smaller figures. This is a practice which has undermined the beauty of many a Jaina sculpture, old or new. The inscription reads as under:
(?) sfigmaany jest
ध्यात्वा शत्रुजये शुद्धथन् सल्लेखाध्यानसंयमैः॥१॥ श्रीसंगमसिद्धमुनिर्विद्याध( )रकुलनभस्तलमृगांकः।। दिवसैश्चतुर्भिरधिकं मासमुपोण्याचलितसत्त्वः ॥२॥ वर्षे सहस्रे षष्टयां चतुरन्वितयाधिके दिवमगच्छत् । (#hafa 3774€TUOTATÈ surfactati ll 11 अम्मेयकः शुभं तस्य श्रेष्ठिरोधेयकात्मजः।
पुंडरीकपदासंगि चैत्यमेतदचीकरत् ॥ ४॥ चतुर्भिः कलापकं ।। According to the inscription, Muni Sangamasiddha, moon of the firmament of the Vidyadhara-Kulas, meditated on mount satruñjaya, before Yugādideva (Ādinātha) and Pundarika. Having purified himself by the practice of austerities and sallekhana, observing dauntlessly his fast for a month and four days, attained to Heaven on Monday the second day of the dark half of the month of Märgaśīrṣa, in V. S. 1064. Śreșthi Ammeyaka, son of Rodheyaka, caused to build this shrine and (consecrate) the image, for his own merit.
This Muni Sangamasiddha is probably the grand-teacher of Pädalipta, the author of Nirvāņakalikā.6
This is the earliest known inscribed and dated image available at Śatruñjaya. It is important also as a fine specimen of art.
Fig. 2, preserved in a cell on the right side of the northern part of the circumambulatory passage of the main shrine, represents a householder, i.e. a śrāvaka, a Jaina lay worshipper. The inscription on its pedestal shows that this is a statue (a portrait sculpture ?) of śreșthi Nārāyaṇa.
5 One of the four ancient lineages of śvetāmbara Jaina monks. 6 Compare the colophon of Nirvāņakalikā, wrongly ascribed to the
first Pädalipta, who is said to have flourished in c. 2nd century A.D. But Dr. U. P. Shah, in his “Iconography of the Jaina Goddess Ambika", Journal of the University of Bombay, September 1940, p. 159, f. n. 6, pointed out that Nirvāņakalika was a work of c. eleventh century A.D.

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SOME INSCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES ON MOUNT SATRUNJAYA : 165
On a raised cushion, surmounted by a design looking like petals of a full-blown lotus, sits Nārāyaṇa in the añjalimudrā (with folded hands), in the lalita-posture, i. e., with his right-foot hanging and the left tucked up. He wears ornaments like armlets, bracelets, anklets, an ornamental broad girdle, necklaces and big circular ear-rings. He has a long beard, whether or not he had moustaches in the original is difficult to ascertain on account of the modern black paint, but it is probable that the paint is on the original mustaches. His hair are tied into a small top-knot on the head, on each side of which is a divine garland-bearer. This is unusual, since a lay-worshipper is not known to have been accompanied by heavenly attendant maladharas.
The marble sculpture is a beautiful specimen of secular sculpture of the eleventh century A. D.
The two-line inscription on the pedestal reads as follows: (२) श्रीजजनागकनिष्ठस्य कपर्दिजनकस्य निजपितुर्वास्य
श्रे. नारायणस्य मूर्ति[:] निवेसि(शि)ता सिद्ध-वीराभ्यां सं० ११३१॥ According to the inscription, this statue of śreşthi Nārāyaṇa, the younger brother of Jajanāga, and father of Kapardi, was set up by Siddha and Vira in (Vikrama) Samvat 1131 (i. e. 1075 A.D.)
Fig. 3 represents a twelve-armed Goddess who is well-known as Mahişa-mardini in Hindu traditions and as Saccikādevi in Jaina traditions.
It is a beautiful marble sculpture of the goddess in bold relief, the back showing a trefoil-like arch surmounting two pillars and thus suggesting that the Goddess is placed in a miniature shrine. On top of the sculpture, in the central part of the arch, is a miniature shrine with a Jina sitting in it.
The Mahişa-demon is an excellent specimen of animal-sculpture. The figure of the goddess, with her one foot trampling on the buffalodemon pierced by her long trident, is a work of superior workmanship, full of life and vigour and beautiful modelling.
In her right hands, the goddess shows the sword, the disc, the trident, the arrow and the varada-mudrā, while in the left ones she holds the shield, the vajra-ghanţă (combination of thunderbolt and bell), the mace, the conch, the bow and the head of the personified demon (placed on the buffalo-demon).
The ornaments and the modelling deserve comparison with the famous Sarasvati from Pallu in the old Bikaner State, now preserved

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166 : SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
in the National Museum, New Delhi. The sculpture must be assigned to a period c. 1000-1050 A.D.
The small figure of a female worshipper on the lower end of the left pillar deserves notice as a fine specimen of miniature figure and on account of the mode of representing the scarf or odhani covering the head and the back.'
The inscription on the pedestal reads as follows:
(३) संवत् १३७१ वर्षे माहसुदि १४ सोमे श्रीमदूकेशवंशे वेसटगोत्रीय सा०सलषणपुत्र सा०आजडतनय सागोसल भागुणमतकुक्षिसंभवेन संघपति सा आशाधरानुजेन सान्लूणसिंहाग्रजेन संघपतिसाधुदेसलेन पुत्र सा०सहजपाल सा०साहणपाल सा०सामंत सा०समरा सा०सांगणप्रमुखकुटुंबसमुदायोपेतेन निजकुलदेवीश्रीसच्चिकामूर्तिः कारिता ।
यावद् व्योम्नि चन्द्राकौं यावद् मेरुमहीधरः ।
aren sftararata: 11
The inscription shows that this image of Saccikādevi was set up by Samghapati Sādu Desala, the elder brother of Luñasimha, and younger brother of Aśādhara. He was son of Ajada and grandson of Salaksana and belonged to Vesața-gotra of Ukeśa lineage. He, along with other members of the family and his sons Sahajapāla, Sāhanapăla, Samanta, and Sāngana, set up this image of the family deity Saccikādevī, in the year 1371 V. S. (= 1314 A.D.)
There is a shrine of Saccikādevi at Osia in Rajasthan. The Ukeśa lineage is named after this ancient town which was known as Ukeśa or Upakeśa-pura. The Oswala baniās are named after this Osia and are supposed to have hailed from this town.
At Osia also, the Saccikādevi image represents the form of Mahisamardini.
Fig. 4 represents statues of Minister Samarasimha and his wife Gugān. This is an important sculpture of the famous “Samarā-saha" who renovated, in V. S. 1371, the various shrines at satruñjaya. A detailed account of this minister, his lineage and his family is available in Nābhinandana-jinoddhāra-prabandha.
The minister stands with folded hands, while his wife carries a purse (money-bag) in her right hand and a cup or bowl containing sandal-wood and saffron-paste for worship is held in her left hand.
The dress and ornaments of both the figures deserve notice.
Desala, referred to in the inscription on fig. 3 above, is the father of this Samarasimha, The inscription on fig. 4 runs as follows:

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SOME INSCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES ON MOUNT SATRUNJAYA : 167
(४) संवत् १४१४ वर्षे वैशाषसु० १० गुरौ संघपति-देशलसुतसमरा तत्पत्नीगुगां सा०सालिग-सा सजन-सिंहाभ्यां कारितं प्रतिष्ठितं श्रीकक्कसूरिशिष्यैः भ०देवगुप्तसूरिभिः । शुभं भवतु ॥
Fig. 5 shows a part of a beautiful metal sculpture representing one figure of a Jina in the centre, and two smaller Jina-figures on two sides above the halo of the bigger Jina. A two-armed Kubera-like Yakşa sits on a lotus to the right of the main figure, while on the corresponding left end we find a two-armed Yakṣī Ambikā sitting in the lalita-posture. There is no inscription on this image, but on stylistic grounds it can be assigned to c. tenth century A.D. or a little earlier.
Unfortunately the present whereabouts of the bronze are not known, but the present writer had once seen it in one of the temples on Mt. Śatruñjaya. A new photograph of the whole figure is thus not possible and only this photograph of a part of it, obtained from the Sheth Anandji Kalyanji's Pedhī, Ahmedabad, is reproduced here. It will however be seen that the bronze is a beautiful specimen of metal sculpture in Western India.
We have noted above four inscriptions from this site. A few more inscriptions ranging from V. S. 1207 to c. 1405 A. D. are noted below.
Inscription no. 5 is on a metal image in Shrine No. 302 situated on the left side of the chief gate of the main temple of the Caumukha Tunk. The inscription reads as under:
(५) श्री सिद्धहेमकुमार सं० ४ वैशाषव० २ गुरौ भीमपल्लीसत्क(१गच्छ) व्यव०हरिश्चंद्रभार्या गुणदेवियोथै श्रीशांतिनाथबिंबं कारितं ।।
According to this inscription, this image of Sri śāntinātha was installed for the spiritual benefit of Guņadevī, wife of merchant Hariscandra belonging to the Bhimapalli-gaccha. The image was consecrated on Thursday the 2nd day of the dark fortnight of the month of Vaišākha in the year 4 of the Siddha-Hema-Kumāra Samvat.
This is a very important inscription, first noticed by Muni Śrī Punyavijaya and published by him in the Jaina Satya Prakāśa, Vol. VIII, No. 1 (Ahmedabad, 1943), pp. 259-261. The metal image must be very carefully preserved, being the only known inscriptional evidence of the Siddha-Hema-Kumāra Era.
Three great personalities of the history of Gujarat are associated in the name of this Samyat (Era). One is Siddharāja Jayasimha, the second is Ācārya Hemacandra and the third is king Kumārapala of Anahillapura-Pāțan. The era seems to have started with the death of

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168 : SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
king Siddharāja Jayasimha and the accession of his successor Kumārapāla in Vikrama Samvat 1199.
The name of Hemacandra, the great scholiast and monk whom both the above rulers highly respected, is also associated with this era. Hemacandra himself, in his Abhidhānacintāmaņi (6.171) composed in V. S. 1207-8, mentions this era in the following way while explaining #97 = 94:--- "Ja fastar, EGTART I
The metal image should thus date from V. S. 1203. No other inscription referring to this era is yet known but one would not be surprised if some more inscriptions dated in this era are discovered in future. It seems, however, that the era ceased to be in use, soon after the deaths of Hemacandra and Kumārapāla since no other inscriptions posterior in age to these personalities are known to have referred to it. On the contrary almost all such inscriptions refer to
the Vikrama era, or in a few cases to the Saka era. Even in colophons • of old manuscripts we do not find any dates in this era.
Inscription No. 6, from Shrine No. 280, reads as follows:
(६) सं० १२२८ ज्येष्ठसुदि १० शनौ श्रीदेवनंदकीयगच्छे पहुदेवेन पितुः पाल[१ स्य] श्रेयसे प्रतिमा कारिता।
The image was caused to be made by Pahudeva of the Devanandakiyagaccha?, on Saturday, the tenth day of the bright half of the month of Jyestha, in V.S. 1228, for the spiritual merit of his father Pāla.
Inscription No. 7 is on a mutilated image stored in one of the underground chambers. The inscription reads as follows:
(७) संवत् १२७३ वर्षे कार्तिकशुदि १ गुरौ श्रीधंधुकके श्रीवायटीयगच्छे पं०आसचंद्र-पदमयोः शिष्य पं०यशोवर्द्धनस्य मूर्तिः कारापिता भ्रातृपुत्र पं०पनचंद्रेण । मंगलं महाश्रीः। चिरं नंदतु ॥
According to this inscription, this image of Pandita Yaśovarddhana, disciple of Pandita Asacandra and Padama of Vāyatiya gaccha and hailing from (belonging to) the town of Dhandhukaka, was set up by Padmacandra, the (spiritual) son of his brother (i.e. the disciple of his monk brother), on Thursday, the first day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārtika in V. S. 1273.
7 Devanandakiya-gaccha is mentioned in the colophon of the palm
leaf manuscript (V. S. 1194) of Pramāṇāntarbhāva, at Jesalmere. The colophon also says that Devanandagaccha is a sub-gaccha of Hārijya-gaccha, cf., Jaina-Pustaka-Prasasti-Samgraha, p. 104.

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Fig. 2. Sculpture of śreşthi Nārāyaṇa,
satrunjaya (d. V. S. 1131)
Fig. 1. Image of Pundarikasvāmi, satruñjaya (d.V.S. 1064)
(See p. 162)

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Fig. 3. Image of Mahişamarddini, satrunjaya
(dated V. S. 1371)
Fig. 4. Sculpture representing Minister Samarasimha and his wife (d. V. S. 1414)

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Fig. 5. Jaina Metal Sculpture, śatruñjaya

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SOME INSCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES ON MOUNT SATRUNJAYA : 169 Inscription No. 8 is from a mutilated statue of a Jaina householder (sravaka) in standing posture, found from an underground chamber. It reads as follows : (c) to P383 and Tube U TEHA HEO.........THE THTAKT qfa: सुतजगपालेन कारिता // According to this inscription, this statue of Minister Prabhasa, son of.........., was set up by his son Jagapala of the village of Padra, on the seventh day of the bright fortnight of the month of Phalguna in V. S. 1313. Inscription No. 9 is obtained on the image of a monk in Shrine No. 701 (Old No. 626). This was read as follows: (9) सं० 1342 माघशुदि 8 शुक्रे श्रीनागेंद्रगच्छे पूज्यश्रीगुणसेनसूरीणां मूर्तिः पं०रामचंद्रेण स्वगुरुश्रेयसे इयं मूर्तिः कारिता प्रतिष्ठिता श्रीजिण(न)भद्रसूरिभिः। चंद्रा यावत् नंदतां // According to the inscription, this image of venerable Sri Gunasenasuri of Nagendragaccha was caused to be made by Pt. Ramacandra for the spiritual merit of his preceptor, on Friday, the eighth of the bright half of the month of Magha in V. S. 1342, and installed by Sri Jinabhadrasuri. Inscription No. 10 is from a mutilated Jina-image in an underground chamber and was read as under: (po) taal 8806 al aportale so ah stattfaruraleleysi....[]go मालदेवसुत महं०सांगणेन स्वमातृबायीहीरनश्रेयसे श्रीअजितनाथबिंब कारितं // According to it, this image of Ajitanatha was set up by minister Sangana, son of minister Maladeva, resident of Posinana for the spiritual welfare of his mother Bayi Hirana, on Monday, the tenth of the dark half of Margga in V. S. 1405.