Jain Journal 1984 04

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

Page 22

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JAIN JOURNAL
The Asutosh Museum, Calcutta University has now become the most important habitat of Jaina images found from different parts of Bengal. Writing in 1939 the present writer could notice only one figure of Rsabhanatha from Mandoil in Rajshahi in the collection of the Asutosh Museum. It is an excellent figure in the kāyotsarga pose with highly sensitive and graceful form. Unfortunately its head has been struck off with some sharp weapon leaving traces of graceful locks of hair falling upon the shoulders. On two sides of the main figure shown in high relief there are two attendant figures and the nine Grahas with Ganesa in miniature form distributed above the two attendant figures.
Since the figure was collected for the Museum by Prof. S. K. Saraswati several figures of Rsabhanatha were collected showing that the first of the Tirthankaras was held in great popularity in Bengal. These figures were found from Manbhum, Midnapur and Burdwan. An extremely sensitive figure with uşnisa and curling hair, truncated at the waist found from Bhadrakali in Hooghly shows a nude bust with straight arms stretched downwards strongly suggesting the kāyotsarga pose. This figure now in the Asutosh Museum is also probably to be identified as a Jaina Tirthankara.
Of the caumukha shrines there are two specimens in the Asutosh Museum, one small specimen from Dolgaon in West Dinajpur and another, a large piece from Deulia in Burdwan. On the four sides of the shrine from Burdwan there are four figures in kāyotsarga pose, who are identifiable from their lāñcchanas the bull, the moon, the snake and the lion as Rsabhanatha, Candraprabha, Parsvanatha and Mahavira the first, the eighth, the twentythird and the last of the Tirthankaras respectively. The figures are quite well contained in their vertically arranged spaces upon the sides of the shrine, austere and commanding as if viewing all the four quarters around them with an unfailing grip and careful vigilance. The caumukha shrines are found at different Jaina establishments and were held in worship as symbolic of the Tirthankaras in the act of preaching. Some Jaina scholars like Dr. U. P. Shah think that the caumukha shrines developed from the idea of samavasaraņa or preaching of a Tirthankara after the attainment by him of the kevala knowledge. The idea of caumukha shrine corresponds to the four faced Buddhist miniature stūpas enshrining four figures of the Buddha in the act of preaching. The samavasaraņa according to the Jaina tradition has got a very interesting significance to note. According to Hemacandra, Indra had a samavasa
built for Rsabhanatha providing him suitable place for preaching after he had attained the kevala knowledge. Entering the samavasarana the Master took his seat on a lion throne and the Vyantara gods who