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150
Jaina-Rupa-Mandana Baroda. An image of Vimala in the Sāntinātha temple, Kumbharia, was installed in samvat 1138 (Viśālavijaya, op. cit., p. 56). In cell 50, Vimala Vasahi, Abu, was installed a sculpture of Vimala in samvat 1245. Only the pedestal with the inscription now remains (inscr. no. 163, Sri-Arbuda-PracinaLekha-Samdoha, by Muni Jayanavijaya) 160
“The Vimalanätha-basti at Bellur, in Mysore district, has a 76 cm high image of Vimalanatha with an inscription on the pedestal of a date earlier than the thirteenth century."161 For a metal Panca-tirthi of Vimala (from west India) in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, see Jaina Art and Architecture, III, pl. 333.
Images of this Jina are obtained at Srava a Beļago!a, Veņūr and Müdabidri.
14. FOURTEENTH TIRTHANKARA: ANANTANATHA
Ananta was the son of king Simhasena and Suyaśā (or Sarvayaśā) of Ayodhya, descended from the Prāṇata Vimāna (Uttarapurāņa) or the Puşpottara Vimāna (Hemacandra). The Uttarapurāņa further differs from other sourou by giving Jayaśyāmā as the name of the queen mother. The Jina is said to have been born in the Revati nakşatra, according to both the traditions. 162
Golden in appearance, Anantajit was so called because his father could conquer inestimable (ananta) armies of his opponents while the Jina was in the embryo state. 163 The falcon was his lañchana according to Svetāmbaras and the bear according to Digambaras. 164 Pātāla served as his yaksa 165 while Anantamati (Dig.) or Ankuśā (Sve.) officiated as the yakşiņi of his tirtha.
Ananta obtained kevalajñāna under an Asvattha tree (Ficus Religiosa) according to the Digambaras and the Svetämbara text Samavāyanga sutra, but under an Asoka tree according to Hemacandra.166 Yaśa and Anjuyā were the first gañadhara and āryikā respectively according to the Samavāyanga - sutra, Sarvasri was the chief äryikā according to Tiloyapanpatti and Padmã according to other Digambara texts.
Anantanātha obtained nirvana on the Mt. Sammeta. Suprabha and Purusottama, the fourth Balabhadra and Näräyana respectively lived in this age.
Giving a list of famous tirthas of Ananta, Jinaprabha sūri says that Ananta nātha was worshipped at Yamunā-brada in Mathura, at Dvārikā in the sea, and in the city of Sakapāņi.167
In Caves 8 and 9, Khandagiri, Orissa, we find rock-cut sculptures of Ananta in the sitting posturt.168
No. 48.4/52 in the National Museum, New Delhi, is a metal sculpture of Ananta seated in the dhyāna mudrā on a lion-throne and under a triple-umbrella. Pātāla yakşa and Anantamati yakşi flank the simhasana. The image was installed in samvat 1507.169 A Caturvimšati-pasta (Covisi) of Ananta, in metal, installed in v.s. 1477, is in worship in the Jaina shrine in Chāņi, near Baroda. In Cell 33, Vimala Vasahi, Abu, is a pedestal of a sculpture of Ananta installed in samvat 1245.170 An image of Anantanātha was installed in samvat 1145 in the Mahāvira temple, Kumbharia (Viśālavijaya, op. cit., p. 122). A metal Panca-tirthi of Ananta is in worship in the Ajitanätha temple at Radhanpur. It was installed in Samvat 1475.
P. Gururāja Bhatt, in his Studies in Tuļuva History and Culture, pl. 411(b), illustrates a figure of Ananta from Baikanatikāri-Basti, Mūdabidure, and another figure from Padu-Basti, Müdabidure in pl. 412(b).
Sculptures of Ananta are available in all Tirthankara-Bastis in Karnataka where sets of all the 24 Tirthankara images are installed. We find images of this Jina in the Bhandara Basti, Sravana Belagola, and in such sets at Mūdabidri and Venur. For some more images and shrines dedicated to Anantanátha, see P. Gururaja Bhatt, op. cit., pp. 438-439.
15. FIFTEENTH TIRTHANKARA: DHARMANATHA
The fifteenth Jina descended upon this earth from the Sarvārthasiddha Vimāna, his birth naksatra being the Puşya according to both the sects. Golden in complexion, Dharmanātha was born as the prince of king Bhānu and queen Suvrată of the city of Ratnapur.171
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