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Devādhideva Tirtharkara
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Digambaras, though of course rarely. Groups of twenty are popular amongst the Svetā mbaras but such a group represents, not 20 Jinas out of the 24 Jinas of this age, but the twenty Viharamāna Tirtharkaras, a conception which will be explained later on. Covisis, groups of 170 Jinas, or 1008 Jinas are known to both the sects but the group of 24 Jinas is the most popular amongst both the sects. Such groupings are not known from early sculptures discovered hitherto, and may be said to date from post-Gupta period onwards. Only four-fold images (Caumukhas) and single Tirthankaras are known to the Kuşana age. In the Tablet depicting Kanha Sramana (Fig. 21) we have two Jinas sitting on each side of the Stupa in the upper panel. In the Neminátha sculpture from Rajgir (Fig. 26) we find two more Jina figures in padmāsana on the pedestal, thus making a group of three Jinas (including the main figure of Neminātha). The sculpture is assigned to early fifth century A.D. Grouping of different Tirthankaras in one sculpture was known as a Pata or Patta in inscriptions, thus a Tri-Tirthika-pata, a Caturvimšati-pata and so on.
A Pata of 96 Jinas, installed in V.S. 1503 (A.D. 1446) is preserved in the Pārsvanātha temple at Delvāda near Eklingji and Udaipur. It comprises images of 24 Past (atita) plus 24 Present (vartamāna) plus 24 Future (anāgata) plus 20 Contemporary (viharamāna) plus Four Eternal or Ever Repeating (śáśvata) equal to 96 Jinas. The Pajo was installed by Somasundara süri of Tapägaccha of the Svetambara sect.81) A Pata of 72 Jinas, of c. fitteenth century A.D. is installed in the Lunavasahi, Delvada, Mt. Abu. A Pata of metal, illustrated in Fig. 183, is in worship in a Jaina shrine in Surat. In the centre is a Pañcatirthika image with parikara and all around in thirteen horizontal rows are miniature figures of 180 Jinas sitting in padmāsana, dhyāna mudră. Thus in all there are 185 Tirthankaras on this metal plaque. Figure 85 illustrates a sculpture, cylindrical in shape, showing in the uppermost row a Jina with two attendant cámaradharas. In the seven rows below are miniature figures of standing Tirthankaras. Perhaps on account of the eight rows in all, the sculpture is regarded as a representation of the Jaina mythical mountain asfăpada. Obtained from Sat Deulia, Burdwan district, West Bengal, the stela is curvilinear at top (height 43 cms, breadth 23 cms). The total number of Jinas standing in the kåyotsarga mudra in the seven rows is 148. If the standing Jinas represent 72 Jinas of the Past, Present and Future Arās plus 20 Viharamāna Jinas plus 4 Saśvata Jinas plus 52 Jina images from the 52 shrines of the Nandiśvara dvipa, then the total would be 148 Jina figures. P.C. Das Gupta, who first published it, suggested that this interesting stela, assigned to c. 10th century by him, was a symbolic representation of the eightterraced Astăpada-giri.82
After the Nirvana of Rşabhanátha, the first Jina, on Mt. Kailash, his son Cakravarti Bharata erected on this mountain a shrine called Simhanişadya Caitya and installed therein images of 24 Jinas of this age. The belief seems to be old since the Acāranga Niryukti, the Jambudvipaprajnapti and the Vasudevahindi refer to Astăpada as a place of pilgrimage. Identification of Astăpada is not certain and it is also identified with Mt. Satruñjaya in Saurastra, Gujarat. Hemacandra ācārya tells us that Bharata also installed statues of his ninety-nine brothers who had also obtained Nirvana on this mountain along with Rşabhanātha. He also raised a statue of himself listening attentively like a faithful devotee. In order to save these from future damage at the hands of mortals, he placed mechanical iron guardsmen and cutting off the projections of the mountain, he made it steep and straight and impossible for men to climb. He then made eight (asta) steps (pada) around it in the form of terraces impossible for men to cross, each step being one yojana apart from the next one. From that time the mountain was called Aştāpada.
Gautama the first Ganadhara of Mahavira was told by his Master that whoever is able to reach the top of this mountain and worship the Caityas thereon obtains emancipation. Gautama, therefore, with his supernatural powers, climbed it like a flash of light. Some tåpasas (Brahmanical monks) were attempting to do so but could not go beyond the third terrace. At the sight of Gautama they obtained enlightenment and liberation. Reaching the top and entering the Simhanişadya Caity'a by the South Gate, Gautama first saw the four Jinas beginning with Sambhava and worshipped them. At the West-entrance he worshipped eight Tirtharikaras beginning with Supārsva, entering by the North gate the could worship the ten Jinas beginning with Dharmanatha. From the Eastern doorway of the shrine he worshipped the first two Tirthankaras, Rşabha and Ajitanātha.83
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