Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 303

Jinas or Tirtharkaras
281
deer, goat, boar in a cage but surprisingly it also shows the figures of Neminātha and Rājīmati standing in the bridal pavilion. An identical example is found in the Lūņavasahi. However, in the instance from Mahavira temple (Kumbharia) Neminātha returns from the way without going to the place of marriage pavilion.
PĀRŚVANĀTHA (23rd Jina) Pārsvanātha, the 23rd and the historical Jina (c. 8th century B.C.), is provided with snake cognizance and three, seven or eleven-hooded snake canopy overhead. It may be noted that mostly the seven-hooded snake canopy is shown with Parsvanātha while upto c. 6th century A.D. he was shown both with five (bronze image in the Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai and the figures at Badami and Aihole) and seven-hooded snake canopy (Mathura, since 1st century B.C., Jaina ayāgapata in the State Museum, Lucknow, Acc. No. J. 253). The rendering of the snake cognizance on the pedestal was not popular in the sculptures mainly because of the seven-hooded snake canopy to be shown invariably over the head of the Jina. The Yakşa and Yaksi associated with Pārsvanätha are Pārsva or Dharana (or Dharaṇendra, Digambara tradition) and Padmāvati, both related to nāga cult. Thus the iconographic features of Pārsvanātha are distinctly suggestive of his intimate relationship with nāga cult. Perhaps due to this fact Pārsvanātha was accorded the most exalted position both in north and south Indian literature and art.
The earliest figure of Pārsvanatha seated in dhyāna- mudrā with seven-hooded snake canopy is carved on the Jaina āyāgapata from Mathura belonging to 19 century B.C., while the other early examples of about 1" century B.C. - 1" century A.D. are found from Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai, Chausa and Mathura (both as independent figures and also in Jina Caumukhi images, always with seven-hooded snake canopy, Pl. 121). In most of these early examples, Pārsvanātha stands as sky-clad in the kāyotsarga-mudrā. In some of the cases the snake canopy of Parsvanātha are decorated with auspicious symbols like śrīvatsa, trichatra, kalasa, pair
of fish and lotus (State Museum, Lucknow, Acc. Nos. J. 39, J. 113 and Government Museum, Mathura, Acc. No. B. 62).
Pärsvanatha was accorded a specially favoured position in visual representations at Digambara (and possibly Yäpaniya) Jaina sites, both in the south and north India. The Digambara Jaina sites of north India reveal that in popularity Jina Pārsvanatha was next only to Rşabhanātha while in the images from south India both Parsvanātha and Mahāvira enjoyed the venerated position to the same degree. The Pārsvanātha images of Svetämbara Jaina sites usually show the astamahāprātiharyas in the parikara as well as the figures of the Sāsanadevatās at the two extremities of the throne. Barring a few examples from Kumbharia, Osian and Delvada (Mt. Abu), the Pärsvanätha images at Svetāmbara Jaina sites invariably contain the figures of Sarvānubhūti (or Kubera) and Ambikā as Sāsanadevatäs in place of conventional Dharanendra Yaksa and Padmāvati Yaksi. Sarvānubhūti and Ambikā, the most popular Yakşa-Yaksi pair in Svetāmbara examples, were otherwise traditionally associated with 22nd Jina Neminātha. However, in a few instances the snake canopy has been provided over the heads of Sarvānubhūti and Ambikā also for emphasizing their association with Pārsvanātha. The Pārsvanätha images from the Digambara Jaina sites of north India usually contain the figures of Dharanendra and Padmavati, either standing respectively at right and left flanks with snake canopy or seated near Jina's throne ends. Padmāvati invariably holds a long parasol kept 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 examples (Khajuraho, Deogadh) show the figures of Dharanendra and Padmavati both at the throne ends as well as on two sides of the mūlanāyaka. Thus two sets of DharanendraPadmavati figures are carved in some Pārsvanātha images.
The images belonging to Gupta and post-Gupta
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