Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

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

Page 311

Jinas or Tirthankaras
289
three tiered circular walls topped by the figure of a seated Jina, facing east. The three images of the selfsame Jina on the remaining sides were installed by the Vyantara gods to facilitate the worshippers to see their Master from all the sides. However, none of the early Jaina works refers to the installation of Jina images on the remaining three sides. Its first mention occurs only in the 8th-9th century A.D. Moreover, in the Kuşāņa Caumukha sculptures four different Jinas, always standing, are carved on four sides, as against the original conception of Samavasarana showing a seated Jina on the top (east) along with the three other images of selfsame Jina on the remaining sides.
Under the circumstance, it would not be appropriate to conclude that the Jina Caumukhi of the Kuşāņa period, showing four different Jinas on four sides, bears any influence of the conception of the Samavasarana. It is rather difficult to find any traditional basis of the conception of the Jina Caumukhi from the Jaina works. On the other hand, we come across a number of such sculptures in Kuşāņa and even early Indian art which might have inspired the Jainas to carve Jina Caumukhi. It is not impossible that multi-faced Siva-lingas and Yakșa figures had some bearing upon the conception of Jina Caumukhi. The conception of Svastika and the Sarnath and Sanchi Asokan lion-capitals could be another possible source of inspiration in this regard.
We may divide the Jina Caumukhi images into two groups. The first group consists of the images in which the figures of the same Jina are carved on the four sides. In the second group, the figures refer to four different Jinas. The earliest Jina Caumukhi figures are of the second group which hail from Mathura and belong to Kuşāņa period, whereas the figures of the first group were carved in seventh-eighth century A.D. onwards. The figures of the first group are comparatively meagre in number and generally do not show the cognizances of the Jinas. The Caumukhi figures of the second group in most of the cases show the cognizances of only two, generally those of Rşabhanātha and Pārsvanatha, of the four Jinas (Pl. 216). It is indeed
surprising that even at a later stage when the cognizances of all the Jinas were evolved, the rendering of the cognizances remained confined only to the figures of Rsabhanātha and Pārsvanātha. This might be explained as the continuation of the earlier tradition of the Kuşāna Jina Caumukhi images from Mathura wherein only these two Jinas are identifiable on account of falling hair-locks and seven-hooded snake canopy. In some instances from the Digambara sites, spread over in Uttar Pradesh, M.P., Bihar and Bengal, the cognizances of some other Jinas are also represented; they are Ajitanätha, Sambhavanātha, Supärśvanātha, Neminātha, Säntinātha and Mahāvīra. One of such examples, datable to c. eighth century A.D., shows the standing figures of Rşabhanātha, Ajitanātha, Sambhavanātha and Abhinandana, the first four Jinas of the present avasarpiņi, on the four sides. The Jinas are provided with their respective cognizances, namely bull, elephant, horse and monkey. The beautiful Jina Caumukhi now preserved in the Archaeological Museum, Nalanda, was originally procured from the Vaibharagiri (Rajgir, Bihar). In some of the examples (104 - 12th centuries A.D.) from Deogadh and Vimalavasahi, we also find the representation of the Yakşa-Yakși figures.
A few examples are found from south India also. An example from Lakşmeśvara temple, Dharwar (12th century A.D.), depicts four standing Jinas on four sides alongwith a number of seated and standing (sky-clad) Jinas on all the sides (Pl. 217). However, another example with Yaksa-Yakși figures is found from Stavanidhi (Belgaum, Karnataka, 12th century A.D.).
From about 9th century A.D., the concept of Pratimä-Sarvatobhadrikā or Caumukhi Jina image developed further into the concept of Sarvatobhadra or Caturmukha Jinalaya (Jina temple) showing four-seated or standing figures of the selfsame Jina or four different Jinas on four sides. The earliest example of Caturmukha Jinālaya is known from Paharpur (Bangladesh, 9th century A.D.). A number of examples of Jina Caumukhi in the form of Devakulikā (small shrine) are found from
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