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Jāvada of Mandu
191
installed one of his idols ( Su. viii. 14):
स्फुरन्त्यत्र देवालयस्तुङ्गशृङ्गाः शतं ते चतुर्भिः समं चित्रचङ्गाः । कसत्कोरणीभिर्लसत्तोरणश्रीधराः सिन्धुरा एव घण्टाघटाभिः ।।
“There, 104 temples are gleaming, with high pinnacles, bright and handsome, with shining engravings, bearing beautiful arches, having the shape of elephants, with numbers of bells.”
This tallies with Vi., st. 75; अभिनव देवभुवन देवाला शत उपरि च्यारइ चउसाला । कणय रजत पीतलमय कारीय बिंब प्रतिष्ठा जग साधारीश ।।
“In 104 four-roomed temples, abodes of the gods, all new, the consecration of gold, silver and brass images was performed and the world made better."
This amply suffices to allow us to form an idea of the splendour and prestige which Jaina culture could boast of in Jāvada's time. One would feel inclined to know what is left of all this glory, so eloquently extolled by devout poets : do we only have their high-flown words vouching for it ? Epigraphic Evidence
By a lucky chance, some statues, bearing pertinent inscriptions, have escaped the general destruction, which transformed Mandu, the City of Joy', into a field of ruins, surmounted by a few awe-inspiring, gaunt Islamic piles. For, pious Jainas hurried those precious idols away in time, giving them places in temples outside Mandu, where they are still worshipped.
Out of those 104 images and reliefs which Jāvada installed, three statues of Jinas of the past period, viz., Anantavīrya6s, Svayamprabhas, and Padmanātha?", two of those of the present period, viz., Abhinandana" and Neminātha, one of the Viharamānas, viz., Viśālanātha", and all the three Pañcatīrthis, viz., Kunthu24, śānti75 and Pārsvas, i.e., in all nine statues, are preserved. After correction of some obvious misreadings, it is seen that they all bear, besides the place-name Mandapa, the date of the consecration
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