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Jaina-Rupa-Mandana
Thus it will be seen that the Simhanişadyā Caitya is a Caumukha shrine with four doorways and having in the centre a platform on which the Jinas are represented in the order described above and worshipped by Gautama. In Svetămbara Jaina shrines sometimes a cell is dedicated to Aştāpada represented in the way shown above. A representation of Aştāpada of this type, with Gautama shown climbing and the täpasas on the way is in worship in a shrine on Mt. Satruñjaya in Saurastra. A simple representation of the Jinas on the four sides of a pitha in above order is in worship in a Svetambara shrine in Surat. Figure 180 illustrates an elaborate sculpture of Aståpada, showing eight horizontal rows of Tirthankaras, installed on the second storey of the Valänaka north, Dharanavihāra shrine, Ranakpur, Pali district, Rajasthan. The sculpture was installed in v.s. 1551 = A.D. 1495. Vastupāla and Tejapala are said to have built an astăpadaprasāda and a temple of Ādinātha at Prabhāsa. påtana.84 The Vastupalavihāra at Girnar in Saurastra is a triple shrine built by minister Vastupala. An inscription on a stone slab behind the temple shows that Vastupala built in V.S. 1288 (A.D. 1231) a temple of Adinātha adorned with a temple of Kapardi Yakṣa at the back. In front of this to the north-west he built a temple of Sammeta-Sikhara adorned with images of 20 Jinas and to the south he constructed an Aştā padaprāsāda with images of 24 Jinas. The Säntinātha temple at Kumbharia also has a sculpture of Aștāpada in a chapel with entrances on all the four si.cs. There is an inscription dated V.S. 1266 (A.D. 1209).85
Representations of Sammeta-Sikhara, obtained sometimes in Jaina shrines, depict 20 Jina figures because in all twenty out of twenty-four Tirthankaras of the present age obtained Nirvāṇa on this mountain. Such representations are known as avatāra or uddhāra of a particular tirtha. A stone plaque representing avatāra of the two Tirthas of Satruñjaya and Girnar now in worship in a Jaina shrine at Varakhāņa in Rajasthan is illustrated in Fig. 186. Representations of the five (Panca) Meru mountains of five different dvipas, showing a Siddhāyatana (suggested by a Caturmukha Jina image) on each tier, one above the other in five tiers and surmounted by a finial, are very popular with the Digambara sect. One such Panca-Meru is also obtained in a Svetāmbara shrine, in the Hastiśälä of the Lūnavasabi, Mt. Abu. The five Meru mountains are Sudarśana in the midst of Jambūdvipa, Vijaya in eastern Dbátakikhanda-dvipa, Acala in western Dhātakikhanda-dvīpa, Mandara in eastern Puskarardha-dvipa and Vidyunmāli in the western Puşkarārdha-dvipa. According to Digambara belief there are in all 80 Siddhayatanas on the five Merus. A Digambara Panca-Meru bronze, installed in v.s. 1513 (A.D. 1456), is illustrated in Fig. 180, from a Digambara Jaina shrine in Surat, Gujarat.
Certain common facts about the lives of each of the twenty-four Tirtharkaras have to be borne in mind for a proper understanding of Jaina Jātaka scences and paintings.
A soul after passing through various births as animals and human beings ultimately becomes fit for being born as a would be Tirthankara. He is then said to have acquired Tirthankara-nāma-karma. 86 His last birth is in one of the heavens from which he descends into the Mother's womb and becomes a Tirthakara in that birth. This descent from heaven is a subject of Jaina miniatures when he is usually represented as sitting in one of the heavens.87 All the Tirtharkaras are born in Ksatriya royal families. Munisuvrata and Neminātha were born in the Harivamśa, Dharma, Ara and Kunthu in the Kuru-vamsa, Parśva and Mahāvira in the Ugra-vamsa, and the rest in the Ikşvāku-vamśa. 88 According to the Svetāmbara tradition, Munisuvrata and Neminātha were born in the Harivamsa while the rest descended in the Iksvaku families. 89
At the time of descent from heavens into the Mother's womb, the Mother of every Jina sees fourteen dreams according to Svetāmbara traditions and sixteen according to the Digambaras. The dreams are represented on stone and in metals as well as paintings (Fig. 187).90 The Mother immediately gets up from bed and breaks the news to her husband. Next morning the dreams are interpreted by astrologers (svapnapathakas or nimitta-pathakas) as shown in miniatures of the Kalpa-sutra. Jaina texts always note the naksatras of the birth (and other chief events) in the life of a Jina. This is because when the birth dates of Mahavira and Pārsvanatha were first recorded the rāśis or zodiacal signs were not known.
Several extraordinary events take place when a Jina is born. The 56 Dik-kumaris come from various regions and perform the duties of a nurse (sutika-kārma) and attend upon the Mother and the Child with
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