Mahavira and his Teaching

SR No.: 008019
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti
Publication Year: 1977
Total Pages: 509
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Biography, Religion, & Principle
File Size: 12 MB

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MARUTI NANDAN PRASAD TIWARI
broken off but the remaining upper and lower left arms hold resptively a parasu and a fruit.
Above the yakşa-yakși figures there appears, on each side, a seated Jina surmounted by a standing Jina figure, faces of all the Jinas being defaced. Above much mutilated figures of the fly-whisk bearers, on either side, is sculptured, on front of the pilasters, framing the principal Jina, a pair of standing Jinas, much worn out. At the top of each pilaster is carved an elephant with two riders, one holding a vase. A couple of hovering figures of the māladharas, much mutilated, commonly hold a garland; they are surrounded by clouds. Beside maladhara couple at each side, there appears a standing Jina, with head lost. Further up on either side is carved a couple of flying maladharas, much mutilated. At the top back slab were sculptured five seated Jina figures, three of them are lost. These seated Jinas are flanked on both sides by eight standing Jinas, the two corner figures at the right side are gone. The upper part of the parikara is much broken. Trichatra here again is supported by a comparatively less pronounced stand, and the figure of the drum-beater has vanished.
The principal Jina figure with its face somewhat defaced has his hair done in the jatā-jūta fashion with three straight locks of hair falling on each shoulder. Wo meet with fairly good number of Rsabhanātha images where the Jina's hair, is done in Jata-Futa (matted hair). (Sarvatobhadra Jina Pratimā, Chirainti village, Shahdol District, M. P.; National Mus., Delhi; Acc. No. 60-1479) and which may be explained as an attempt to show him as a great yogi and also to hint at the similarity between Rşabhanātha and Siva, this is further stressed by the bull-cognizance and the bull-faced yaksa of the Jina, the bull being the vāhana of Siva. Images of Rsabhanātha at Deogarh in most of the instances show long unplaited strands of hair (jatā) falling from the shoulders and also below the elbow of the hanging arms in case of the standing figures. It may be noted that representation of such a long jatā ocurs only at Deogarh. These images generally exhibit comparatively small jatā-jūta overhead.