Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain, Others
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 13

Preface
Chapter X deals with sixteen Mahavidyās who were important Jaina Goddesses of Tantric impact and whose iconography is enunciated both in Svetāmbara and Digambara texts. However, their renderings were confined mainly to the Svetāmbara Jaina sites of Osian, Delvada, Kumbharia, Taranga etc.
Chapter XI deals with some other important Jaina gods and goddesses such as Sarasvati, Lakşmi or Sridevi, Ganesa, Brahmaśānti Yakşa, Kaparddi Yaksa, Kșetrapala, Harinaigameși or Naigameşa, Astadikpālas, Navagrahas, Dikkumāris, Santīdevi, Pratihāras, Vijaya-Vijayanta-Jayanta-Aparājita, Nine-Nāradas, Eleven-Rudras, Kāmadevas, Ganipitaka-Yakşaraja and Tribhuvan-Svāmini.
Chapter XII deals with the images of Bāhubali, Bharata Muni and Jivantasvāmi. Bāhubali and Bharata Muni were two sons of Rsabhanatha and were accorded veneration on account of their rigorous austerity and renunciation. As a consequence of this their images, particularly of Bahubali, were carved in abundance. Jivantasvāmi image represents Mahavira prior to his renunciation. He is shown in art as standing in kāyotsargamudră with royal ornaments. This concept was subsequently extended to several other Jinas also.
Chapter XIII pertains to some important artistic and iconographic manifestations, namely Jaina Ayāgapata, Samavasarana, Astamangala, Nandiśvara-Dvipa, Sammeta-Sikhara and Panca-Meru, Mānastambha and Parents of Jinas.
The first five Appendices deal with the names of the original texts along with their dates and authorship, list of important Jaina sites with their dates, and tables showing the iconography of Jinas, Yakşa-Yakşi and Mahavidyās. A map of important Jaina sites is in the form of Appendix VI. These will make the whole discussion more understandable in terms of time, space and details.
Part III deals with Jaina paintings in ten chapters and six appendices. It begins with Chapter XIV which is introductory giving an outline of Jaina miniature paintings from the 11th century A.D. to early 18th century. Here, it has been tried to show that it were the murals of Ellora (Indra Sabhā) and Ajanta which inspired the artists of the Jaina miniature paintings to produce illustrated manuscripts first in palm-leaf and then in paper. It also discusses the history of Jaina miniature painting in a chronological order so that the readers might comprehend its stylistic development.
Chapter XV is on Adipurana which describes the cosmic cycle of the life of Tirthankara Rsabhanātha, his ten former births and the life of Cakravartin Bharata. The painted paper manuscripts of Adipurāņa datable to 15th-16th century A.D. illustrate different stories narrated in the text.
Chapter XVI deals with Kalpasútra which is taken to be the most revered book by the Svetämbaras. The text consists of three parts - Jinacarita (lives of Jinas), Sthaviravali (succession of pontiffs) and Sadhu-sāmăcari (rules for monks at the time of Paryusana) - and all these, particularly the lives of Mahavira, Pārsvanatha, Aristanemi and Rşabhanātha under Jinacarita, have been discussed in reference to their illustrations.
Chapter XVII is related with Kālakācāryakathā which is a Svetāmbara legend pertaining to the life of monk Kālaka. This text is generally treated as an integral part of Kalpasūtra. During the 13th century A.D. the Kalakācāryakathā and the Kalpasūtra were transcribed even as hyphenated texts. Both these texts were embellished with illustrations from A.D. 1250 to 1555. The illustrations of the text represent different episodes from the life of monk Kālaka.
Chapter XVIII deals with Uttaradhyayanasūtra, a text commendable for describing in 36 chapters the various duties of Jaina monks. The manuscripts of this text belong to 15th-16th century A.D. and the scenes illustrated therein show only some minor changes in different manuscripts. We have discussed here the different chapters of the text in the light of their illustrations.
Jain Education Intemational