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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JUNE, 1911.
Thus ends the gloss, on Sri-Samavasaraṇa-stava.
From the above description it is clear that the Samavasarana is a structure, constructed by an Indra, and, in default of him, by the gods, and, pre-eminently amongst them, the Vyantaras. The structure is intended for the delivering of religious discourse by a Jina, immediately after his attainment to the condition of a kevalin. Each Jina had thus his own Samavasarana; and, like all other objects, sacred to these Jinas, such as Ashtapada, Sammeta, Satrunjaya and so forth, Samavasarana is also sculptured. Not a single Jaina temple of eminence exists without a sculpture of Samarasarana in it. Fig. 1 represents that in the temple of Vimala Sà on Mount Abû, as stated above. This sculpture is in a side chamber near the south-west corner. But there is another, larger but plainer, in the Hathi-sald of the same temple. In the figure in question, the Samavasarana represented is a round one. The three ramparts of it with their battlements can be recognised without any difficulty. Two gateways of each rampart are here visible, and at each gateway may be seen two door-keepers, standing, but too indistinct to be identified with those whose details have been specified above. On the lowermost rampart, between the door-keepers of the two gateways, are one elephant and one horse, and between these two a step-well,-doubtless the váhanas and vapí, which, according to verse 18, are to remain in that rampart. In the intermediate one, are noticeable the tiryañchah, i. e., the lower animals such as deer, stags, and so forth, of which one is undoubtedly fabulous. In the first, i. e., uppermost, rampart are shown several persons equatted and with hands folded, unquestionably the twelve congregas that come to listen to the religious sermon. It is, however, curious that all of these are resented as sitting and none standing, as some at any rate ought to stand, as verses 16 and 17 distinctly tell us. On this rampart can no doubt be recognised the lion-thrones with a dharmachakra, or wheel of the law carved in front, but all other details are different from those specified in the works, and are exactly those of an ordinary chaumukh. Thus the devachchharida and the Aśoka tree are conspicuous by their absence here. Nay, the pose of the Jina here is the ordinary one of meditation, and not of teaching (desand) as it ought to be 10 In fact, I have not yet found any Samavasarana which faithfully depicts all or even almost all the details set forth in the works.
It is worthy of note, that like the Chaumukh or Ashtapada, even temples are built dedicated to Samavisarana. One such exists on Kumalgadh in the Udaipur State, though in a somewhat ruinous condition. It is locally known as the Golerâ temple from the round (gol) enclosure wall that surrounds it. Like a Chaumukh temple it has four doors. "It was not, however, a Chaumukh, but a Samas avarana temple. This is doubtless seen from the different classes of gods and goddesses sculptured at the corners of the walls near the top of the interior. Near the western door of the shrine is a fallen sculpture with an insciption on it. It is dated V. S. 1516, and speaks of one Goimda as having caused to be made the pedestal (parikara) of Yugadideva, i. e., Rishabhadeva in (the temple of) Samarasarana. This shows that the Samavasarana, i, e., the first sermon in question, was of the first Tirthankara." With regard to "the different classes of gods and goddesses sculptured," the following notes were taken down by me in my notebook when I visited Kumalgadh.
South-east corner: (I) Inscription. Agneya-kuni 1 parshada mahatmanám rúpa south-east corner, 1st congregation: 4 figures of the high-souled (sages). [These are male ascetics sitting on asanas with the right foot dangling and the left placed on the knee of the right; hands folded, with besoms between hands and breasts; heads like those of the modern Jatis].
10 This view is corroborated by the Chaitya-vandana-bhdahya, which runs as follows:
अत्र केचिचैत्यगृहादिषु दृश्यमानमेव जिनासनं वदन्ति । परमेष लोकव्यवहारः । निश्वयस्तु भगवान्पादपीपा संस्थाप्य सिंहासने निषण्णताः सन्योगमुद्रया करो धृत्वा देशनां करोतीति । 11 Prog. Rep. Archeol. Surv. Ind., West. Circle, for 1908-09, p. 40.
