________________
242
History of Jainism with Special Reference to Mathurā
A boundary wall has been constructed to provide security to the temple, the dharmaśālās and the garden.
A beautiful stone mānastambha was constructed in AD 1929 in front of the main entrance gate of the temple. The managing committee of the Jambūsvāmi Digambara Jaina Siddhaksetra Chaurasi, Mathurā, has chalked out many plans for the development of this temple and site, and these include the construction of a parikramā márga (processional path) around this temple. A bird sanctuary has also been built near the main entrance gate of the temple complex; food and drinking water requirements of the birds are properly taken care of in this sanctuary.
The exterior of this temple is still plain. But as a result of marble flooring, construction work of a varied nature, and other renovations which are in progress, the interior of the Jaina temple at Chaurasi, Mathurā, presents a fairly impressive appearance now. The large marble image of tīrthamkara Ajitanātha is a seated figure of the conventional type.32 The expression of smile in this image is particularly worth attention. Many vedīs embellish the interior of this temple. One of them bears the white marble image of Bahubali in the kāyotsarga posture. Another vedi contains the white marble image of jina Pārsvanātha in the seated meditative posture. A characteristic feature of this vedi is the installation of white marble statues of saptarsis in the kāyotsarga posture in front of the image of Pārsvanātha. Another vedi contains the image of jina Candraprabha; fifty-two stone and metal images installed on this vedi include the images of jina Šāntinātha and Jambūsvāmi.
A vedi contains an ancient stone image of Pārsvanātha; this image is flanked by two images of this jina, one on each side. Another vedi contains the images of many jinas – two white marble images of Pārsvanātha; two images of Neminātha, one built of white marble and the other of red sandstone; a white marble image of Rsabha; a white marble image of Ajitanātha, and a red sand stone image of Padmaprabha. One vedi contains the images of the jinas Mahāvīra, Pārsvanātha and Rsabhanātha; the white
52. MDM, p. 13.
