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Jaina-Rupa-Mandana Scenes of the main events in the lives of Rşabha, Neminátha, Pārsvanātha and Mahavira are also found in the miniature paintings of the Kalpa Sūtra, already described by Coomaraswamy, Brown, Moti Chandra and others. For detailed accounts from the previous lives and the last life of these Tirtha karas one may refer to Trişastišalakäpuruşacarita (Sve.) and the Mahapurana (Adipuräna+Uttarapurana) of Jinasena and Gunabhadra (Dig.) and the Harivamśa of Jinasena. One may also refer to the Paumacariyam of Vimala sūri.
The earliest known images of Neminātha are from the Kankali Tila, Mathura, preserved in the Lucknow and Mathura museums. One of them, no. J.8 in the Lucknow Museum, had an inscription on its pedestal dated in the year 18, expressly stating that the Jina represented is Aristanemi. According to Lohuizen-de Leeuw, this date is with the figure of 100 of the Kaniska's era omitted which means that the image is dated in 118 196 A.D. The cognizance is not shown on the sculpture and the Jina is identified only with the help of the inscription.275 V.S. Agrawala has referred to another sculpture, no. 2502 in the Mathura Museum,276 with figures of Balarāma and Krsna shown on the right and the left side respectively of the Jina. Four-armed Baladeva carries the plough in one hand while another is placed on the kați. Symbols of the two remaining hands are broken. ir tt , remaining hands of the four-armed Krsna, are the gada (mace) and the cakra (discus).
No. J.121, Lucknow is another early sculpture of standing Neminātha dating from c. late fourth century A.D. On the right of the Jina stands a four-armed Balarama with five snake-hoods overhead and carrying the wine cup (cașaka) in one of his hands. To the left stands Krsna showing the gadā and the conch in two hands. Symbols of the other hands are not distinct. No. 37.2738 in the Mathura Museum, dating from c. tenth century A.D., is a similar sculpture of Neminätha with four-armed Balarama and Kệspa standing on his right and left side respectively. Heads of the Jina, Balarama and Krspa are mutilated and lost. As we have suggested in the previous chapter, Nos. J.117 and J.60 in the Lucknow Museum cannot be certainly identified as Neminātha. The snake-hooded figure on the right may be just a någa figure. Besides in J. 117 the figures on the right as well as the left have their two hands folded. We have shown in the last chapter that mälädharas, kundadharas and Nägas are enjoined as attendant figures in a sculpture of a Tirthankara. Mathura Museum no. 2502 is a sculpture of Neminātha since the figure on his right showing a plough can be identified as Baladeva and the one on the left with the gadà and the cakra must be Krsna. No. J.47 in the Lucknow Museum also represents Neminātha sitting in padmāsana. Here the figure on the right shows the plough, the mace and the wine cup, and is therefore Balarāma while the figure on the left, four-armed, shows the gadā, the abhaya mudra, etc. These are sculptures of the Kuşåna period. No. B.77 in Mathura Museum represents Nemi with conch symbol.
The Vaibhāra giri, Rajgir, sculpture of Neminātha sitting in padmasana with the conch cognizance on each side of the dharmacakra (shown as cakrapuruşa, a Gupta period motif) shown in the middle of the simhasana has a small inscription mentioning Mahārājadhiraja Sri Chandra ... and with the help of the paleography of the inscription is rightly assigned by Rama Prasad Chanda to the reign of the Gupta Mahārājädbirāja Chandragupta 11.277
A sculpture on the Vipula giri, Rajgir (Indian Museum Photo-negative no. 635) shows the Jina sitting in padmasana, dhyana mudrā, on a big viśva-padma, with an attendant standing camaradhara on each side. In the centre of the simhasana is a dharmacakra with a conch on each side. A sculpture of a Jina sitting in padmāsana on a big lotus (Photo no. 646, Indian Museum, Calcutta) with a dharmacakra in the centre of the pedestal was found on Udayagiri, Rajgir. On two sides of the wheel are still visible portions of the conch. The Jina has a small uşnişa on top of the head. There is also a sculpture of Neminātha on the eastern wall of Temple no. 1, Ratnagiri, Rajgir. Here also the conch is placed on each side of the dharmacakra in the centre. The Jina sits in padmasana on a simhasana. A plain halo, triple-umbrella and a big cushion at the back of the Jina are shown. Instead of twigs or leaves of a Caitya-tree hanging from two sides of the chatratraya, two ends of what looks like a piece of cloth are shown hanging on both the sides (Indian Museum, Negative no. 641).
Tiwari identifies no. 212 in the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, as Neminatha sitting on a sit . sana. This is really placed on top of a tall tree. On one side of the tree is a standing male figure wid
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