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A Caturvimsati
Patta of
Rsabhanatha from Koraput
UMAKANTA SUBUDDHI
Two years ago, a number of Tirthankara images, lying in some remote areas of Jeypore sub-division in Koraput district, were removed to the District Museum at Jeypore by the civil authorities, where they are displayed now. Among the collections, there is a caturviṁsati-patta relief which contains all the twenty four Tirthankaras with Rsabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, as Mulanayaka or the main deity.
The relief measuring 46 x 30 cms. is discovered from Bhairavsinghpur village in the Boriguma tahsil of Jeypore sub-division. It is slightly mutilated at the top. Its Mūlanāyaka, Rsabhanatha, is found sitting on a throne seat in paryankāsana with hands laid in yoga mudra. The lord bears the sacred srivatsa symbol on his chest.. The Nyagrodha tree, his tree of knowledge, is above his head. The lord's lañchana, the bull, is below his seat and his cauri-bearers, Bharata and Bahuvali, are seen on either sides. He is flanked by the other twenty three Tirthankaras sitting in meditative postures like the lord. The lañchanas of some of the Trithankaras are visible and of Parsvanatha and Mahavira are very clear. While a serpent having three hoods act as a canopy above the head of Parsva, a lion is found sitting below the seat of Mahavira. The
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