Jain Journal 2006 07

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

Page 19

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JAIN JOURNAL VOL-XLI. NO. 1 JULY 2006
SO
sprinkling has, however, obvious connection with the Goddess Laksmī who herself is said to anoint a person on whom she chooses to confer her blessings and who is represented in art as being sprinkled with water by two elephants on either side holding a jar each in their trunks. This particular form of Lakṣmi, is known as Gaja-Laksmi. Attention should be drawn to the figure of Lakṣmi in a ceilingpainting at Ellora of the eighth cent. A.D. The peculiar pose of the folded hands apparently in adoration is a deserving point to note. This perhaps is the solitary instance of its kind. It is, however, proposed to connect Gaja-Lakṣmi composition with the dream-story of Māyādevī, but we are not, however, concerned with that at present. The auspicious symbol of abundance which is commonly represented by a full jar or pūrṇa-kalasa finds culmination in art by these representations of Lakṣmi anthropomorphically drawn. It is worthy of note that the figure of Lakṣmi which is the object of the auspicious dream is a four-handed figure, which holds in the two upper hands a lotus each, while the two lower hands are folded together. She sits on a lotus seat and bears a golden crown with a surmounting jewel on it. In an early sculpture from Bodh-Gaya, however, we have a standing figure of Gaja-Lakṣmi4 with the two figures of elephants on both sides standing on two lotuses branching out from the central stalk. The goddess holds aloft this right hand apparently in abhaya pose and the left touches the wearing apparel below. The figure is embossed above a figure of Indra as Santi and belongs to Ist cent. B.C. The connection of lotus with the Gaja-Lakṣmi figures is undoubtedly one
80. Vide, the seated fig. of Gaja-Laksmi in the Adivaraha cave belonging to the early medieval period, (7th cent. A.D.); pl. Lx. fig. 205. History of Indian and Indonesian Art: see, also, the fig. of the Jain form of the goddess on Khandagiri, pl. Md. fig. and that from Gwalior, pl. Md. fig.
81. H.II.A., pl. LVII, fig. 196.
82. Foucher: L'art greco-bouddhique du gandhara; H.I.I.A. pp.26 and 38
note 1.
83. See Jaina-chitra-kalpadruma pl. fig.
84. A.K. Coomaraswamy: Origin of Buddha Image, fig. 15.