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Iconography of 24 Tirtharkaras
145
and Vaidarbha (Nāga according to Tiloyapaņņatti) and Ghoşāryā were the leaders according to Digambara traditions.
Ajita was his yakşa according to both the sects. The yakṣi was Sutārå (Sve.) or Mahākālikā (Dig. Uttarapurana). The Digambara text Tiloyapannatti gives Brahma yakşa and Käli as the śāsana yakşa and yaksini respectively of this Jina. Suvidhinātha obtained nirvana on Mt. Sammeta.
In both the traditions, the crocodile (makara) is the dhvaja or lañchana of this Jina. According to a Canarese (Kannada) tradition noted by Burgess as well as Ramachandran, the crab is his cognizance. 128
Images of this Jina are not so common (especially in Museum collections as those of Rsabha. Mahavira, Pārsva or Säntinātha, but they are obtained in temples of both the sects. A sculpture of Suvidhi from some site in the South (not specified, but probably Karnataka) was published by Kamta Prasad Jaina. 129 It represents him along with miniature figures of the 23 other Tirthankaras and belongs to the Digambara tradition. Jinaprabha Sori states that Sri Suvidhinātha is worshipped at Kāyādvära. The identification of this tirtha of Suvidhi is not certain. 130
The earliest image of Puspadanta so far discovered dates from the fourth century A.D. Along with the image of Candraprabha referred to before, this sculpture was al installed by Maharajadhiraja Rāmagupta. The Jina is identified with the help of the inscription on the pedestal. 131 No lañchana is shown. A third image of some unidentified Jina was also found along with the above two images from a village called Durjanapur near Vidisha. Inscription on the third image is defaced and hence the third image cannot be identified. All the three images are now preserved in the Vidisha Museum, M.P.
Hirananda Shastri has referred to an image of standing Puspadanta, of c. 11th cent. A.D., obtained from Chattarpur, and having the makara as the cognizance. 132
At Khandagiri, in caves 8 and 9 we have rock-cut sculptures of Puspadanta in padmasana with the makara as his cognizance. 133
In the Pārsvanātha temple, Kumbharia, in cell no. 9 is an image of Suvidhi with his name inscribed in the inscription on the pedestal dated in v.s. 1276=A.D. 1219 (Viśālavijaya, Sri Kumbhāriyāji Tirtha, p. 50. inscr. no. 9-32). In the temple of Sāntinātha, Kumbharia, is an image of Suvidhi installed in V.S. 1138=A.D. 1081 (ibid., p. 56, inscr. no. 3-37). In the Kalyāna-Pārsvanātha temple at Radhanpur, N. Gujarat, there is in worship a metal Panca-tirthi image of Suvidhi installed in samvat 1464 according to the inscription on the back. Another such Panca-tirthi installed in samvat 1485 is in worship in the Neminātha temple, Radhanpur. There is a Pañca-tirthi sculpture of Suvidhi, with parikara, in cell 31 in Vimala Saha's temple at Abu. In cell 38 of the same temple was installed a sculpture of Suvidhi in V.S. 1245 according to the inscription on the pedestal of the Mülanāyaka image (main image) in this cell.
In the Bhandara Basti, Sravana Belagola, we have a sculpture of Suvidhi with Ajita yakşa standing on his right side and Mahākāli yakşi standing on the left. On the pedestal a figure of karimakara is carved as the cognizance. In the Suttalaya of Gommata at Sravana Belago!a, and at Veộür and Mūdabidri we also find sculptures of Suvidhi standing with his yaksa and yakșiņi by his sides.
10. TENTH TIRTHANKARA: SITALANATHA
Sitalanātha was the son of king Drdharatha of Bhadrapura or Bhaddilā (in the Malaya country) by queen Sunanda and was born in Purvāşadhā nakşatra, having descended from the Acyuta heaven according to Hemacandra and from Ārana heaven according to the author of the Uttarapurāņa. 134
The name Sitala was given to him because the king's body, when it was hot, became cool at the touch of the queen, while the Jina was in her womb. 135
Sitalanátha, says the Uttarapuräna, obtained kevalajñāna under a Bilva-tree; Hemacandra says that it was a Pippala-tree (Ficus Religiosa) while Ramachandran, on the evidence of scme Kannada tradition, says that it was a Priyangu-tree (Panicum italicum). The Tiloyapannatti says it was the Dhūli-tree. The Samavāyanga sūtra calls it Pilankkhu (Priyangu ?) tree. 136
According to the Svetā mbara tradition, Nanda and Suyaśā were his chief ganadhara and āryikā respectively, 137 while according to the Digambara text Uttarapurāna, they were Anagara and Dharaṇā.
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