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Jaina-Rupa-Mandana A third example is his fig. 470, Adinātha, from Gudigeri, Dharwar district, Western Chalukyan, 12th cent. A.D.
Our Fig. 178A illustrates a bronze figure of a nude standing Jina in the Madras Museum. It was discovered from a place called Tindivaram, in Tamil Nadu. An inscription on its back shows that this is a figure of the Adi-Jina. It may be noted that no hair-locks on shoulders are visible. The bronze is a specimen of Chola art of 12th century A.D.
Scenes from the life of Rşabhanātha are available in the ceilings of the Sāntinātha and Mahāvira temples at Kumbharia, N. Gujarat. M.N.P. Tiwari has identified a few such scenes on the walls of a Devakulikā near the main Jaina shrine at Ośia. The earliest known representation is the frieze depicting the Dance of Nilāñjana, Fig. 18, referred to before. We also get some scenes in miniature paintings of Kalpa-sūtra.
2. SECOND TIRTHANKARA: AJITANATHA
Ajitanatha, the second Jina, the son of king Jitaśatru and queen Vijayā of Ayodhyā (Vinita-Säketa), was born in the Rohini naksatra, having descended upon the earth from Vijaya Vimāna, according to traditions of both the sects.52 According to Hemacandra, the king gave the name Ajita to his son because the mother could not be defeated in gambling by the king, so long as the Jina was in the Mother's womb,53 The Digambara text Uttarapurāna explains the name in another way: he was called Ajita because he could not be conquered by sin or by all heretics.54
Both the sects agree in calling him golden in complexion, having the elephant as his cognizance. He obtained Kevalajñāna under a Saptaparņa (Alstoma Scholaris) tree.55 He is said to have obtained Nirvana on the Mount Sammeta Sikhara (Mt. Pärasanatha) in West Bengal.
The second Jina had 90 ganadharas, Simhasena being the chief amongst them. Falgu (Svetāmbara) or Prakubjā (Digambara tradition) was the chief Aryikā or the leader of his order of nuns. 56
Mahāyakșa was his attendant Yaksa and Ajitā (Sve.) or Rohiņi (Dig.), the attendant Yakşiņi.57 Sagara, the second Cakravartin of Jaina Purāņas, was his cousin brother. The elephant, which is the chief distinguishing mark of this Jina, also becomes the vāhana of his yakşa, while the attendant yakşi, Ajita, seems to have been named after the name of Ajitanätha.
The earliest known image of Ajitanātha is in the āyāgapata from Mathura illustrated in Fig. 11. A figure of standing Ajitanātha from Sārnāth dates from Gupta age.58
In the Son Bhaņdār Cave, Rājgir, is a Pratima-Sarvatobhadrikā of stone, with a standing Tirthankara carved on each face. The quadruple image has a domical top and the stela on each side shows a dharmacakra with a symbol on each side, carved on the base. On one side, two elephants flank the wheel, on another are two monkeys. On the third side is shown a horse on each side of the cakra. Thus these animals represent cognizances of different Jinas represented on the four sides. Ajitanātha is here represented with the elephant symbol on two sides of the dharma-cakra; he stands on a lotus in the kayotsarga pose under a Caitya-tree represented by two twigs on the sides of the Jina's head. Near the legs is standing an attendant male chowrie-bearer on each side. The sculpture is assignable to c. 7th-8th century A.D. The Jina is represented as standing under an arch supported by two pillars on tops of which are two divine garland-bearers. Above the arch is a triple-chatra while two hands beating a drum represent divine music.
The sculpture is a noteworthy specimen marking a stage in the development of the parikara (Prātihärvas) of a Jina. The Asoka tree, or the Caitya-tree, the divine garlands, the divine music, the divine câmaradharas, the asana (here it is understood by the marking of the lotus below the feet, as the Jina is represented in a standing pose), the dharma-cakra, as well as the triple-umbrella and halo are shown. The parikara is fully developed so far as its constituents are concerned. At a later stage, the mode of representation of the divine music changes, and the grouping becomes more ornamental.
But the mode of representation of the lånchana or symbol of the Jina is especially noteworthy. In later sculptures, the dharma-cakra is generally flanked by the two deer, obviously in imitation of the Buddhist symbol. Here, one of the earliest stages of the mode of representation of the symbol of a
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