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PĀRSVANATHA IMAGES IN ELLORA
Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari
Pārsvanatha, the 23rd Tirtharkara, was accorded a specially favoured position in visual representations at the Southern Nirgrantha or Digambara rock-cut shrines. The Northern Nirgrantha sites reveal that, in terms of popularity, Jina Pārsvanatha was next only to Rşabhanātha; while in the images from south India, Pārsvanātha and Mahāvīra enjoyed the position of veneration to the same degree. Of all the 24 Jinas, the chief distinguishing feature of Pārsvanātha in having the snake-canopy overhead first appeared in c. first or second century A.D.' Up to c. the sixth century A.D., Pārsvanātha was shown both with five as well as seven-hooded' snake-canopy. The Pārsvanātha images of the Nirgrantha-Svetāmbara sites usually show the astamahāprätihāryas in the parikara, as well as the figures of the Sāsanadevatās at the two extremities of the throne. Barring a few examples from Osiāñ, Kumbhāriā, and Delvādā (Mt. Abū), the Pārsvanātha images at the Svetāmbara sites invariably contain the figures of Sarvānubhūti and Ambikā as sāsanadevatās, in place of the conventional Dharanendra Yaksa and Yaksi Padmavati. Sarvänubhūti and Ambikā, the most popular Yakșa-Yaksi pair in the Svetāmbara examples, was otherwise traditionally associated with the 22nd Jina Aristanemi. However, in a few instances, the cobra-canopy has been provided over the heads of Sarvānubhūti and Ambikā for emphasizing their association with Pārsvanātha. The Pārsvanātha images from the Digambara sites of North India usually contain the figures of Dharanendra and Padmāvatī, either standing formally at the right and left flanks with the snake-canopy, or seated near Jina's throne-ends. In former examples, Padmāvatī invariably holds a long parasol above the head of Jina; while Dharanendra is shown either with folded hands or as bearing a fly-whisk. The images from north India, in some instances, show the figures of Dharanendra and Padmāvati both at the Jina's throne ends and on the two sides of the mulanāyaka figure. The Pārsva images from south India usually show the figures of Dharanendra and Padmavati standing on the two flanks of the mülanāyaka which, however, are sometimes substituted by the camaradharas.
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