Jain Rup Mandan

SR No.: 001961
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Umakant P Shah
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
Publication Year: 1987
Total Pages: 466
Language: English
Classification: Book_English & Art
File Size: 27 MB

Page 94

Devādhideva Tirtharkara
81
row the twenty-four Mothers of Tirthankaras of this age, another shows the sixty-three Salākāp urusas while a third one shows the sixteen Mahavidyäs of Jaina Tantrika worship.
An image is called a caitya (ceiya), pratimā, a bimba or an archa. A Jaina temple is called a caitya, an ayatana, a vasahi (basadi in the south) or vasati, a Jinālaya, a deula or devakula, according to Jaina texts and inscriptions.
The Brhat-Kalpa-Sutra-bhâsya, a work of sixth century A.D., refers to a practice in Mathura. The Jina-figures were on lintels of entrance-doors of residential buildings of the Jaina inhabitants.18 Such images were known as margala-caityas. The text classified caityas or images into four types: sādharmikacaityas, śāśvata-caitvas, bhakti-caityas, and mangala-caityas. The last type is explained above. The śāśvata-caityas are images of sasvata-Jinas installed in heavens. We shall refer to them again later in this chapter. Bhakti-caitras are those prepared by human beings for devotion and worship. Sadharmikacaityas are memorials, portraits, of followers of the same sect. The text cites an instance of the image of one monk Värattaka carrying the mouth-piece (muhapatti) and the broom-stick (rayoharana), installed by his son who followed the same doctrine.19
There is another type of image which is called Jivanta-svami-pratima. The term and the use of such images are known from Svetāmbara sources only. It means an image of a person installed in his own life-time and was specially used for a life-time sandalwood image of Mahavira. Later on it came to be used for such images of Mahāvira as showed the iconographic peculiarities of the original Jivantasvāmi image. Still later, such Jivantasvāmi images of Tirthankaras other than Mahavira were also installed. The term was also used in the sense of a life-time image (i.e. installed in the life-time of the person whose image or portrait it is). For example, a stone-image of Merucandra suri in the Cintamani-Pārsvanātha temple at Cambay, installed in v.s. 1393=1336 A.D., is called a Jivantasvämi image of that suri in the inscription incised on the image (see Fig. 177).
Another type of Tirtharkara images is known as images of Viharamāņa Jinas. We shall discuss them later in this chapter.
(A) TIRTHANKARAS OF THE PRESENT AVASARPINI AGE (ARA)
Lives of the twenty-four Tirthařkaras of this age (ārā, according to the Jaina conception of time) are the subject matter of several works like the Kalpa-sútra (Sve.), and the Mahāpurāna of Jinasena and Guņabhadra (Dig.). The Samavayānga sutra, a Jaina canonical Anga-text,20 gives lists of Tirthankaras of the Bharata and Airavata kşetras of the Jambūdvipa.21 The lists are as under:
Bharata Kşetra
Airavata Ksetra
1. Rşabha 2. Ajita 3. Sambhava 4. Abhinandana 5. Sumati 6. Padmaprabha 7. Supārsva 8. Candraprabha 9. Suvidhi (or Puspadanta) 10. Sitala 11. Sreyamsa 12. Vasupujya 13. Vimala 14. Ananta 15. Dharma
1. Candránana 2. Sucandra 3. Agnisena 4. Nandişena 5. Rșidatta 6. Vyavahāri 7. Somacandra 8. Yuktisena 9. Ajitasena 10. Sivasena 11. Buddha 12. Devašarman 13. Asamjala (?) 14. Anantaka 15. Amitapāņi