Page Text
________________
branches of a large tree. The images in Group 4 (Figure 6) are carved into a shallow rockcut shelter in the lower right corner of the rock formation. The shelter may have originally been a natural cavern that was subsequently modified by Kalugumalai's artists. It measures approximately two feet in depth and there are seven seated Tīrthankaras that flank a central Jina triad. Carved on either side of the central triad are standing images of Gommateśvara and Pārsvanātha. All of the images are carved with donative inscriptions.
am
Figure 7: Group 5 at Kalugumalai
Group 5 is carved on the same surface of rock as Group 4 and it contains the largest number of images (Figure 7). The majority of these approximately fifty carvings present the Tīrthankara as part of a series (the longest being twenty-five Jinas) or in pairs of two or four. There are a few standing or seated Jinas with chattras and lotus supports, and there are also three panels that depict enthroned Jinas with all of the elaborate attributes described earlier. Other carvings of Tīrthankaras, located on the far left side of the rock formation, appear to have been left unfinished (Figure 8). The bodily forms of the Jinas seemingly emerge and dematerialize, creating a dynamic sense of movement across the rock's surface. Contributing to this illusion is the variety of stages of carving exhibited by the reliefs. Some of the images are only slightly incised while others present fuller outlines of the figural form. The different stages of completeness allow us to contemplate (and appreciate) the ways that the imagery relates to the surface of the rock, almost as if the images themselves are svayambhu (self-born) rather than man-made.?
7 Parker (2001: 53-75) discusses issues of incompleteness exhibited in the rock-cut monuments at
10
| SR No. | 007302 |
| Book Title | Demarcating Sacred Space The Jina Images at Kalugumalai |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Lisa N Owen |
| Publisher | ZZZ Unknown |
| Publication Year | 2010 |
| Total Pages | 28 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 2 MB |