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Jaina-Rupa-Mardana
on the corresponding left end of the throne is the four-armed Brukuți yakṣi of the Svetambara tradition.
At Sravana Belagola, in the set of Bhaṇḍāra Basti (1159 A.D.), Candraprabha, standing in kayotsarga pose, has by his right side the four-armed yakṣa who may be Syama or Ajita and the four-armed yaksi on the left who seems to be Manovega (acc. to Tiloyapanṇatti) and not the Jvälämälini (of other Digambara texts). In Humaca, south Karnataka, we have a standing Candraprabha with the cognizance carved on the pedestal. As usual in Sravana Belagola and other sets here also the Jina has a halo and a triple umbrella and no other member of the parikara except the four-armed yakṣa and yakşi standing on his right and the left sides respectively. In the sculpture of Candraprabha at Veņur we have a four-armed yakşa but the yakşi is six-armed. In the Suttalaya set, at Sravana Belagola, of late 12th century, both the yakṣa and the yakși are four-armed while in the Mudabidri group of twenty-four Tirthankaras, the yakși of Candraprabha is six-armed. This set is later and dates from c. 14th or 15th century A.D. There is a sculpture of Candraprabha standing at Bhatkal in Karnataka. Here the yakṣi is eight-armed Jvälämālinī.
A rather modern example of Candraprabha image, cast in metal, according to Digambara tradition, is in worship in a shrine in Venkundram, North Arcot district, Madras. The Jina stands on a lotus device placed on a pedestal with the crescent symbol of the Jina shown in its centre. The total absence of the śri-vatsa mark in all the south Indian images noted above is noteworthy. In the Venkundram bronze we find a small triangle carved on the right side of the chest of the Jina. We find such a mark on metal images of other Jinas in this shrine.
Candraprabha, also called Candranatha in the south, has been popular amongst the Jainas almost everywhere in India. P. Gururaja Bhatt, in his Studies in Tuluva History and Culture, discussing Jainism in Tulunadu, lists some noteworthy Jaina Bastis in places in Tulunadu. The list shows that there are several Bastis (shrines) with Candranatha in the sanctum at places like Mūḍabidure, Karentitodi, Veņūru, Beltangadi, Dharmasthala, Mardala, Nerenki, Uppinangadi, Panantabailu, Mularappatna, Manjesvara, Omanjuru, Bailballa, Mulki, Madhura-patna, Iruvattur, Humbucha, Angadtyaru, Karkala-Hiriyangadi, Mala, Mülivaru, Keravase, Varanga, etc.
Such a survey of important Jaina shrines in different parts of India, along with the images worshipped therein, is not yet completed for any State or district in a State and so it is not advisable to draw hasty conclusions and say, for example, that maximum number of images of Candraprabha were carved in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. 124 Even if such a statement is with references to States in India Lorth of the Vindhyas, I humbly believe that without a full survey one need not hasten to draw such conclusions. Jaina temples in Patan or Cambay or in Satruñjaya etc. have never been fully surveyed from such a point of view.
A nişidhi stone with a figure of Candraprabha in upper panel along with the cognizance, from Danavulpadu, is preserved in the Madras Museum.
9. NINTH TIRTHANKARA: SUVIDHI OR PUSPADANTA
Both the sects worship the ninth Jina as Puspadanta or Suvidhi. He was born as prince of king Sgriva and queen Mahadevi (Dig.) or Rama (Sve.) of the city of Kākandi (modern Kekind in Bihar). White in appearance and born in the Mula nakṣatra, Suvidhi had descended upon this earth from the Pinata (acc. to Uttarapurana) or Apata (acc. to Hemacandra) heaven. 125
While he was still in embryo, his mother became adept in all rites and arts (Suvidhi-kuśala) and because a tooth appeared from a pregnancy wish for flowers, his parents gave him two names: Suvidhi and padanta,126
Puspadanta obtained kevalajñāna under a Mālūra tree according to Hemacandra (Sve.), but under a Nga tree according to the Digambara text Uttarapurana and under an Akşa tree according to the yapappatti (Dig.). T.N. Ramachandran has noted that it was the Sala tree. 127 Possibly he relied on Varaha or Varahaka Svetämbara traditions,
Kannada tradition. The Samaväyänga sutra states that it was the Mäli tree. Sulasa were the leaders of his gapadharas and aryikas respectively according to
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