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APRIL, 1994
139
23 miniature Tirthańkaras seated and arranged in rows from Kantabenia in the dt, of 24 Prgs. are interesting. From Ujāni in Burdwan dt. comes the stone sculpture of Säntinātha with Navagrahas and attendants (12th cent. A, D.)
From north Bengal, several Jaina stone sculptures have been recovered. One of them, unique of its kind, has been discovered from Surohar, dt. Dinajpur. It belongs to circa 10th cent A. D. It has Tirthankara Rşabhanātha as the central figure, seated in an adamantine posture in 'dhyānamudrā', being attended by two Yakşas and flanked by 23 seated figures of Tirthankaras within miniature shrines arranged in tiers (7 on either side of the central figure and in 3 each in 3 parallel rows on the top). The entire composition of the sculpture has been fashioned in the form of a miniature shrine with deities in it, and executed with minute skill and refined delicacy of the Varendra style. There are several sculptural representations in stone depicting a seated couple with children on their laps representing Jaina and his parents and a tree.
From Sat Deuliya in Burdwan dt. comes a stone slab of circa 10th cent, A.D. which depicts Tirthařkara Rsabbanātha being attended by the Yaksas and Jaina divinities (Salakäpuruşas etc.) arranged in horizontal rows.
From a rapid survey of Jaina sculptures as found in Bengal, it appears that Tirthankaras like Pårsvanātha, Santinātha, Rşabbanath, Chandraprabha, Padmaprabha and Mahāvira and Śāsanadevis like Ambika were popular with the Jainas of early medieval Bengal. Jainism was revived in dts. of Bengal (Murshidabad and Dacca dts.) in the 15th Cent. A. D.
Before we conclude certain observations regarding the iconograpby of Jaina deities may be made.
Jainism like Buddhism tried to assimilate the folk or 'laukika' cults in its pantheon to gain common people's support in it, People of ancient India used to worship trees, Nagas, Yakşas & Dhvaja symbols (Vyantara devatās' etc.),
In the opinion of Dr. J. N. Banerjea, many of the subsidiary members of the Jaina pantheon were direct copies of the Brahmanical divinities. The Jaina Tirthařkaras are often found associated with
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