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who was saved by Parsvanatha from the burning wounds.82 However, the entwined snake is generally taken as an auspicious symbol. As the keeper of sacred wisdom, the serpent deities are being worshipped. Here this imagery of Naga couple, probably, appears to be offering the pitcher of wisdom. This piece of sculpture shows a very bold and lively composition with a balance and symmetry. The spread out of the composition, the elongation, and rhythm of the stance of the attendant figures as well as the ease and freedom of expression reminds affinity with the RajgirNalanda type in an evolved form, and may be dated to the early 9th Century A.D. These cauri-bearers in respect of spreading out of the body limbs, and their stance resembles the figures of Lokanatha, of Nalanda,83 while this type, does not appear in any other sculpture so far discussed. The stance of the cauri-bearers as attendant figures of Rsabhanatha (Nos. 17 & 19, Pls. 14 & 15 lower part) show the same stiff curve of the left leg making an angle on the hip as we have found in the image. No. 48 (Pl. 41). This straitened posture and, a sudden jolting concavity in the back of the upper portion making forward thrust of the chest, all point to the affiliation to central India type of 11th Century A.D. The amorous surasundari figures of Orissa and central Indian temple have the similar stance evoking a confident sensibility. The idioms and the modelling are more pronounced than that of earlier piece of sculpture (No. 48, Pl. 41) belonging to the second group. The front faced gogleeyed lions have their own glyphic characters with schematic manes, bulging chest, one of the leg being foreshortened. This type of leoglyphs have their other representation in the fragmentary pieces No. 44 (Pl. 36), No. 26 (Pl. 21), No. 22 (Pl. 17). This mode of representation of leoglyph also appears in an early piece of Mahavira image (No. 32, Pl. 24). The remains of the legs of the fragment of the Rsabhanatha (Nos. 17, 19, Pls. 14, 15) is smooth round and soft and has a perfect equipoise in the
stance.
The fragment of a Jina figure (No. 20, Pl. 16) showing the lower portion of the body without the feet and flanked by two attendant cauribearers, has the same traits of smoothened surface through long, round and soft column like legs with a slight trace of knee cap. The beautiful smooth curves of the modelling gradually develop into a flowering body. The easy flow of the curves, without any restrain is a sign of maturity and stability of a style possibly ushered in this area in the 10th-11th Century A.D. In the stance of the cauri-bearers this case is achieved. The fleshy curves in the navel and pelvic region is absent here and the
82 Basanta Kumar Chattopadhyay, op. cit., pp. 123-124 (911-94). 83 Asher, op. cit., pl. 162.
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