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as standing sky-clad in the käyotsarga-mudrā with hair arranged in jațā fashion with lateral strands hanging over shoulders. It may be mentoined here in passing that in almost all the later examples, mainly from South India, the hanging hair locks are shown with Bahubali which atonce suggest his association with Rsabhanatha on the one hand and the long passage of time of tapas on the other. A climbing plant twines round the legs and arms of Bahubali and four snakes are shown close to his feet. Bahubali is joined by two female figures, undoubtedly the vidyādharis, wearing decorated mukutas and holding the ends of the creepers. The figures from Aihole contains two other female figures, standing close to Bahubali. These figures probably represent Brahmi and Sundari.14
Ellora, in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, appears to have been the most prolific Digambara Jaina site, which has yielded more than twenty-five Bahubali figures, spread over in Cave Nos. 30 to 34 and ranging in date from the 9th century A.D. to the 11th century A.D. The figures of Bahubali reveal that the cult of Bahubali was very popular in Ellora.15
The other important and famous colossi of Gommatesvara Bahubali are known from Sravanabelgola (c. A.D. 983), Karkal (A.D. 1342) and Venur (A.D. 1604), all in Karnataka. Of these, the Sravanabelgola figure outvies all the known figures of Bahubali in hugeness (57 feet in height)
andenur. The image, prepared by Camundaraya, the minister of the Ganga king Racamalla JV (A.D. 974-984), shows Bahubali as standing sky-clad in the kāyotsarga-mudrā with climbing plant fastened round his thighs and hands, and ant-hills carved nearby with snakes issuing out of them.
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 atleast one fact, that in the Digambara community of North India, Bahubali was accorded the same favoured position as he enjoyed in South.
14 It is perhaps the solitary instance at a Digambara site wherein the figures of two
sisters have also been carved. 15 In Ellora, Bahubali is carved facing the Parsvanatha figures. The Bahubali figures
in cave Nos. 31, 32 and 34 show a royal male figure, sometimes with spouse, sitting close to his feet, who is distinctly identifiable with Bharata Cakravarti.
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