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History of Jainism with Special Reference to Mathură
The artists carved a large number of religious and secular symbols on the āyāga-pattas. Auspicious symbols called the asta-mangalas in Jainism were also carved. The asta-mangalas – svastika, śrīvatsa, nandyāvarta (cross with circular arms), varddhamānaka (powder-flask), bhadrâsana (sacred seat), kalaśa (full-vase), darpaņa (mirror), and matsya or matsya-yugma (fish or pair of fish) — are known to Jaina worship from ancient times, and are often referred to in the Jaina canonical and other texts as decorating tops of architraves or ramparts, or placed on caitya-trees, platforms, painted on walls, etc.78 Some of the Mathurā āyāga-pattas contain total or partial depiction of the asta-mangals.79 The study of the Mathurā āyāga-pattas, however, reveals that the set of eight auspicious symbols called the astamangalas was not finally settled upto the Kuşāņa period. 80 The tradition of eight auspicious symbols as depicted on the Mathurā āyāga-pattas, especially on the āyāga-patta donated by Sihanādika, 81 is slightly different from the later tradition. It is evident that in the representation of the eight auspicious symbols, the artists of Mathurā followed the older tradition, which is slightly different from the tradition recorded in the Jaina canons available these days.83
Some of the symbols carved on these āyāga-pattas are the kalpaurksa,84 the full vase, 85 the stūpa,86 coiled reptiles with human bodies,87 dragons,88
78. SIJA, p. 109. 79. Ibid., pp. 109-10. 80. SIJA, p. 110. 81. SML no. J.249. 82. SIJA, p. 110. 83. Ibid., pp. 110-11. 84. SML nos. J.250, J.252; MCH, p. 333. 85. Ibid., no. J.252; ibid. 86. MM no. Q.2. 87. SML no. J.248, no. J.250; MCH, p. 333. 88. Ibid., no. J.252; ibid.
