Jain Journal 1976 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 32

South Indian Jaina Sculptures in the National Museum, New Delhi
B. N. SHARMA
Jainism has made great contributions to Indian art, culture and philosophy. Numerous splendid Jaina temples dotted all over the country are embellished with magnificent sculptures of Jaina divinities. Historically, the earliest Jaina sculptures have been regarded as belonging to the Maurya age. The torso of Jaina Tirthankara displayed in the Patna Museum and bearing the lustrous polish typical of the Maurya period suggest the popularity of Jina worship during the 3rd century B.C. Another similar torso but without polish and exhibited in the same museum, has been assigned to Sunga period 2nd century B.C. During the Kushana and Gupta periods, Jainism like Buddhism and Hinduism was widely spread all over north India, as revealed by a number of literary and epigraphic references besides numerous sculptures of the deities. During the mediaeval period, Jainism continued to prosper in all parts of the country.
In south India, some of the earliest Jaina sculptures belong to the Pallava period, 7th-8th century A.D. A number of Jaina devotees built temples in honour of their gods and enshrined in them beautiful images of their Tirthankaras, some of which can still be seen there, while many have found their way to different museums in India and abroad. A fine collection of Jaina sculptures in the National Museum reveal the glory of Jaina art in south India from the Pallava to late Vijayanagar period.
The images of the Tirthankaras of south India in contrast to the images from the north invariably do not have any cognizance on their pedestals which may help a student of Jaina inconography in identifying them. Besides this, the south Indian images generally do not bear a śrīvatsa mark in the centre of their chest, as we find in the sculptures of north India. The sculptures carved in granite stone are either shown in a standing pose known as kayotsarga-mudrā or seated cross-legged in dhyāna mudrā with hands resting on the lap and palms facing upwards. The earliest south Indian image of the Tirthankara in the National Museum belonging to the Pallava period 7th century A.D., is badly defaced and damaged at places, and hence, has not been reproduced here. The Tirtharkara is seated in dhyāna-mudrā.
The image of Tirthankara datable to the Cola period 12th century A.D., shows him seated in dhyāna-mudrā under a triple umbrella on a double-lotus seat (No. 63.1068, fig. 1). The vyala and gajamukhas depicted on his either side suggest that the 'Great Master' is seated in all his sublimity on a lion throne. There is a śrīvatasa mark on the right