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84 : Śramaņa, Vol 66, No. 3, July-September 2015 But architectural and sculptural examples stylistically suggest that the art activity in Jaina context commenced even before in 7h-gth century CE and continued up to at least 16th-17h century CE.
fig. 01- śāntinātha temple (Temple no. 12), Deogarh (Lalitpur, U.P.), CE 862. Deogarh was very important centre of Sārasvata Sādhanā (education and religious learning) and existence of strong Jaina Sangha, evidenced by the profuse number of images of Jaina Acäryas, Upādhyāyas, Bhattārakas, Sādhus and Sādhvis who were living together at Deogarh for meditation, study and Śästra-carcă (disputation). The figures of Sarasvati and in one example (Temple no. 01) her rendering with the Jinas in Tritirthi (fig. 02) image also reinforce the point.? Sarasvati is the personification of Jina-vīņi (preaching of Jinas).
58. Tritirthi Jina image with Sarasvati,
Temple no. 210th-14th cent. A.D.
fig. 02- Tritīrthī image, showing two Jinas and Sarasvati (as ŚrutaDevatā), Temple no. 02, Deogarh, 12h century CE.
