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figures of the snakes, lizards and scorpions shown creeping over Bahubali's body also project and reinforce the same idea. The erect posture of Bahubali is symbolic of perfect self-control, while the nudity implies absolute renunciation achieved after a complete victory over passions.
JAIN JOURNAL
The life and tapas of Bahubali are narrated in detail in the scriptures of both the sects of the Jainas. Somehow, the Bahubali worship was not so popular in the Svetambara sect as it was in the Digambara one. Dr U. P. Shah records only two Svetambara images of Bahubali, which in keeping with the white-clad tradition, show him with dhoti. These come from the Vimala Vasahi, Dilwara temple, Mt Abu (1032), Rajasthan and the Adinatha temple, Mt Satrunjaya, Gujarat.3
Besides, the author has also noticed a Svetambara representation of Bahubali in a bay of the Santinatha temple (11th century) at Kumbharia in North Gujarat. The bay, attached to the rangamaṇḍapa on the west, represents the five chief auspicious events (pañca-kalyāṇakas) from the life of Rsabhanatha and it also shows, in the third band, the scene of the fight between Bharata and Bahubali. It also contains a figure of Bahubali wearing a dhoti and standing in the kayotsarga-pose. A climbing plant twines round his arms, legs and chest. To the left of Bahubali stand two female figures with hands folded in supplication. These figures are labelled below as Brahmi and Sundari, the two sisters of Bahubali.
It is generally believed that the occurrence of the Bahubali images is more frequent in South India than in North India. But a detailed study of some Digambara sites in the North does reveal some cult images of Bahubali. This bears testimony to at least one fact, that in the Digambara Community of North India, Bahubali was accorded the same favoured position as he enjoyed in South.
Shah, U.P., op. cit., p. 36, Jaina Stories in Stone in the Delvada Temples, Mt. Abu', Jain Yug, Sept. 1959, pp. 39-40.
4 S. S. Jain, Colossus of Sravanabelgola and other Jain Shrines of Deccan' (Nutan Jain Sahitya Series, 1), Bombay, 1953, p. 10: according to him, we find such colossuses at Karkal, Venur, Gommatagiri and also at Ellora Jaina Caves. No image of Bahubali is to be found in North India and excepting one at Ellora he is conspicuous by absence elsewhere in the north of river Krishna; and also Shah, op. cit., p. 34; he remarks, 'Images of Bahubali are not so common in North India though a few mediaeval images are known to exist in the territory that was formerly Gwalior State and is now in Madhya Bharat, while much later bronzes are found in Digambara shrines all over India.' The first statement has been proved to be wrong on the strength of the available images from North India, while the statement by Shah needs correction in the light of new finds.
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