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IS JAINISM AN OPPONENT OF HINDUISM ?
D. N. Shukla
"mere afcaria"
Evolution of the Jina Icons:
A word may be said here on the evolution of Jina Icons illustrating the different phases of the Jina iconography as found in Indian sculpture. This development of Jina-images may be viewed in three stages of development of (1) Pre-Kuşāņa (ii) Kuşāņa and (iii) the Gupta;—corresponding to the three stages of iconography in which they were conceived namely simple images (of course with certain symbols), without any characteristic lanchana the developed paraphernalia of an image for worship and thirdly endowed with lāñchanas together with the accessories and Cihnas etc. The earliest historical representation of the Jinas was found in the Āyāgapatas (the tablets of homage) discovered at the Kankali Tilā of Mathura. Three of them show the Tirthankara figure seated with hands laid in the lap. Some of the Jaina Aştamangalasymobls such as a pair of fish, a svastika etc. also figure here. but there is hardly any specific lanchana characteristics of a particular Jina by which we can recognize him. One tablet, however, show the figure of a Jina, which by its mark of snake-canopy, we can identify as that of Pārsvanātha; Brindāvan, therefore, concludes (J.I. p. 47): The representation of Jinas in these Āyāgapațas of pre-Kuşāņa age, as may be proved from the script of the inscription on them, appear to be the earliest in the stages of Jaina iconography. Thus we can infer that in the first stage of iconic development Jinas had no lānichanas or distinctitive mark, the Pārsva figure had the invariable symbol of snake canopy and some of the Aştamāngalikas had been very primitive in their growth.
457
M.M.-58
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