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Arbat Parsva and Dharanendra Nexus
up as though in a tall niche, somewhat reminiscent of the colossal Buddha in the rock excavated niche in Bamiyan (Afghanistan). There is no doorframe as such consisting of various sākās like the one in the neighbouring Camundaraya-basadi. Carving of the doorway with ornate sākhas has been deliberately avoided here so that the attention of the devotees is focused entirely on the Jina image. The nagahoods look both realistic and vivid (Plate 66). To the right, near the hoods, is a pedestal projected from the wall. With the help of a ladder the priest/devotees can get on it and perform the abbiṣēka rite. As mentioned above, usually the images of the respective Yakşa and Yakşî in the basadis are placed on the sides of the garbhagrba-doorway in the antarala. But here this feature has been eliminated. Instead, on the side walls of the entrance, are drawn in outline in red colour, the figures of the Yakṣa and Yakṣi; they were obviously not meant to be sculpted. Carving of the images along the lines in the walls would have created deep niches that would have weakened the walls. This mode of construction and image-placement had been resorted probably to make the Jina image as the sole focus of attention. Such mode of representing Pārsvanatha has not been noticed elsewhere.
A rare form of Pārsvanātha sculpture from Bilicodu
This is indeed a noteworthy sculpture from Bilicoḍu (Chitradurga District) of c. 11th century A.D., located in the outskirts of the village in a modern grave-yard. Obviously it is brought from some Jaina temple in the village and installed on a platform in the present place. (It is about 70 cm high and 30 cm broad.) It depicts the Jina in kbadgåsana. On the sides are shown seated figures of Yaksa and Yakşi. The unique feature of the sculpture is the representation of two entwined nagas like those in any other Näga sculpture. In the single loop so formed by the Nagas bodies and between the hoods are medallions showing fully blossomed lotuses. The Tirthankara's feet is in between the hoods just above the lotus and the Yakşṣa and Yakși are represented right on the top of the hoods. Apparently, the sculpture has the combination of a Tirthankara and the Nagas of the type of the Brahmanical sculptural representational tradition. The combination looks unusual, even strange ! A careful perusal of the Jaina Purāņas, however, explains this mix up. In the Parsvanatha-purana, it is narrated that Pärsvanatha, born as he was in Kāsī, and though he was a prince, was uninterested in mundane life and was inclined more towards the quest of the Self. One day, while he was wandering about on the bank of the river Gangā, saw some ascetics performing austerities in front of a burning hearth. They were feeding the hearth with fire-wood. Pārsvanatha questioned them
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