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Iconography of 24 Tirtharkaras
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1259=A.D. 1202 according to the inscription on the pedestal preserved in the cell (Viśālavijaya, op. cit., p. 133). According to another inscription by the side of the torana in this cell, it was installed in Samvat 1265 by Sājana who is perhaps the same as Sajjana of the earlier inscription just noted. Tiwari has noted that on the torana pillars are figures of Apraticakra, Vajrärkusi, Vajraśrrikhalā. Vairofya, Rohini, Mánavi, Sarvästramahājvālā and Mahāmānsi Vidyādevis but it must be remembered that they have nothing to do with the iconography of the Tirthankara. There are indeed some cases where some Vidyādevis figure as part of the accessory figures as in the Tri-tirthika metal images from Vasantagadh published by us in Lalit Kala, nos. 1-2, but it must be remembered that they are not enjoined as part of a parikara of a Tirthankara image.
In cell 27, Vimala-vasahi, Abu, an image of Sumatinatha was installed in samvat 1245 by the wife of Mahāmatya Pșthvipāla. The image is lost but the pedestal with the inscription is still preserved in the cell. This has happened with the sculptures of most of the Devakulikas (cells) in the temples at Kumbharia and Abu. The yakşa and yaksi on the pedestal in the Vimala-vasahi cell 27 are Sarvänubhūti and Ambikā.
A Pañca-tirthika sculpture of Sumatinātha installed in samvat 170 is in worship in Celt no. 593/2 at Satrunjaya (inscr. no. 225 of Kanchanasāgarasûri, op. cit., p. 57) and another Panca-tirthi of Sumati dated in samvat 1554 is in worship in Cell 600/1, inscr. no 232, at Satruñjaya. There is a similar third sculpture dated samvat 1694 in Cell no. 596/2 at Satrunjaya. A fourth Pañca-tirthi of Sumati in the same site is dated in V.S. 1497, preserved in what is called Kothāra, inscr. no. 238, Satruñjaya, op. cit. There are some more such Pañca-tirthis of Sumati at Satrunjaya. But the inscription no. 273 in Cell no. 613/9/ 10, dated samvat 1530 is more interesting because here the image is called Sri-Jivatasvāmi-Sri-Sumatinåthabimbam. This as we have noted before is a later wrong application of the epithet Jivat-svāmi for images of Tirthankaras other than Mahā vira. Iconography of Jivantasvāmi images of Mahavira was of course believed to have been based on an original life-time portrait statue of Mahavira which is not the case with much later Jivitasvāmi images of other Tirthaó karas.
In the National Museum, New Delhi, there is a metal sculpture of Sumati (No. 48.4/44) with yaksa Tumburu and Mahäkäli yakşi (JAA, III, p. 560), installed in samvat 1532.
In the south as usual we have sculptures of Sumatinātha in the various sets of 24 Tirthaskaras at Sravana Belagola, Venûr, Mudabidri. In such sets all the sculptures are of a uniform type in each set, the differences lying only in the forms of śasana yakşa and yakși and the cognizance on the pedestal.
6. SIXTH TIRTHANKARA: PADMAPRABHA
Padmaprabha was born as the son of king Dharana (Dig.), Dhara or Sridhara (Sve.) and queen Susimā ruling over the city of Kausambi, in the Citrā naksatra, having descended from the UparimaGraiveyaka Vimāna.89
Hemacandra states that his father named him Padmaprabha because his mother had a pregnancywish of (lying on a bed of lotuses while the Jina was still in her womb and secondly because of his lotuslike complexion.90
Shining like red-lotus, Padmaprabha also has the red-lotus as his lañchana or dhvaja. He obtained kevalajñāna under a banyan tree according to the Svetāmbara view represented by Hemacandra. According to the Digambara tradition noted by Ramachandran, the Chatrå (Anethumsowa) was his Caitya-vr'ksa. The Samavāyānga sūtra, which represents an earlier tradition, calls it Chaträbha.91 One hundred and ten ganadharas headed by Vajracamara (Dig.) or one hundred and seven ganadharas headed by Suvrata (Sve.) followed him. Rati or Ratisen, was the leader of his order of arvikās.
He obtained moksa on Mt. Sammeta Sikhara. Kusuma and Acyută were his yaksa and yaksini respectively according to Sve. tradition, while they were known as Mätanga and Apraticakrā (Tiloyapannatti) or Kusuma and Manovega (Vasunandi and other writers) according to the traditions of the Dig. sect.
Early sculptures of Padmaprabha are not yet known. At Khajuraho in the mandapa of the Pārsva
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