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Iconography of 24 Tirtharkaras
169 vara)..."278 A Sankha basadi existed at Huligere during the reign of Bukka Raya of Vijayanagara.279 Perhaps because of the big Sarkha (conch, the cognizance of Nemi) on which Neminātha stood, as in Fig. 45 (from Mudabidri), Neminātha came to be worshipped as Sarkha-Jina and a temple with such an image came to be known as Sankha-Jinalaya or Sankha basadi. Neminātha is installed as a chief deity in various temples in Tulu-Nadu (south Karnataka) at Koto-setti-Basti, Mūdabidure, at Purușa-gudde, at Kārkal, at Varänga etc.280 Images of this Jina are also found in shrines where sets of 24 Tirthankaras are worshipped as at Sravana Belagola, Müdabidure, Venür etc.
At Kambadahalli in Karnataka, in the Pancakūta-Basti there is a tri-kütācala nucleus. Of the three shrines in the tri-kūta complex, the central one facing north enshrines Ādinātha, the one facing east Neminátha, and the one facing west Santinātha (JAA, II, p. 218). The Pancakuța-Basti at Markuli, of the time of Ballala II, erected in 1173 by his minister Bucchimayya, is for Adinātha, Neminātha, Pārsvanātha, Puspadanta and Supārsvanātha (JAA, II, p. 318).
In Tamil Nadu, the Poyagaimalai at Kuppalanatham and Karupannasami rock at Uttama palaiyam have rows of Jaina Tirthankaras, Adinātha, Neminātha and others.281 In North Arcot district, the celebrated Jaina centre Tirumalai, called Vaikavur in inscriptions, has on its hill a Jaina temple complex dedicated to Mallinātha and NemIsvara and is noted for a large monolithic image of Neminātha on the hill. It is also noted for its wall paintings as well as for fine sculptures of Kuşmāndini, Pārsvanātha, Bahubali and others.282
To the Nayaka phase belong later paintings in the Mahāvira temple, at Tiruparuttikunram, of 16th17th centuries. Scenes from the lives of Rşabhadeva, Vardhamāna, Kļşma and his cousin Aristanemi, and the life of Neminātha himself are graphically painted with labels in Tamil clearly explaining each scene (JAA, II, pp. 388-89).
Neminātha or Aristanemi, the cousin brother of Krsna according to Jaina Puranas, is associated with Dvārakä and Girnar (Mt. Raivataka) in Saurashtra, Gujarat. His images and scenes from his life, especially his marriage procession when he sees the animals caged for slaughter for his marriage feast and turns back and becomes a Jaina monk, are very popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan and many Pathās (wooden and cardboard sheets for holding paper manuscripts) have paintings and embroidery work on cloth covering them. A very interesting frieze showing the marriage procession of Neminätha is in the collections of Shri Haridas K. Swali, Bombay (JAA, III, 438). It shows two horse-riders, a bullock-cart, trumpet-blower, drummer, a royal figure holding garlands, female figures, marriage pandal (mandapa), house scenes, animals caged, scene of preparation of sweets etc. Traces of paint on the scenes are still preserved.
The Nadloi (Rajasthan) inscription of 1138 records a grant of 1/20th part of tax levied on incoming and outgoing merchandise of the city for the puja (worship) of Jina Neminätha (JAA, II, p. 240). The Neminātha temple at Kumbharia was built during the later part of Siddharaja's reign. The Neminātha temple on Girnar was built by Danda-Nāyaka Sajjana also in the reign of Siddharaja Jayasimha of the Chaulukya dynasty of Anahilapätaka or Patan, Gujarat. King Kumārapāla (1144-1174 A.D.), successor of Siddharāja, built at Patan a Kumāra-Vihara sacred to Pärsvanātha with 24 devakulikās. He also built Kumāra-Vihāras, Jaina temples, at centres like Girnār, Satrunjaya, Prabhāsa, Abu, Khambhät and in towns like Tharád, Idar, Jalor, Div, Māngrol etc. In memory of his father Tribhuvanapala, he built the Tribhuvana-Vihara, dedicated to Neminātha with 72 devakulikäs and a tri-vihāra in 1160 (JAA, II, p. 303).
The Lūna-vasahi on Mt. Abu is a temple dedicated to Neminátha, built by Minister Tejapāla in memory of his brother. In the gūdhamandapa of the Luna-vasahi is an image of Neminātha installed in Samvat 1394, and another in Samvat 1321. In this shrine there is also a rare image of Rajimati who was to marry Aristanemi and who also became a Jaina nun. The image is dated in Samvat 1515. In the devakulikå no. 22 in Luna-vasahi an image of Nemi was installed in Samvat 1293 by one Kumäraka of Candravati (Jayantavijaya's Arbudäcala- Prūcina-Jaina-Lekhasandoha, inscr. no. 307). Cell no. 23 in the same shrine was also dedicated to Neminātha (ibid., inscr. no. 313), in V.S. 1293. In the same year one Lahada set up an image of Neminátha in cell 39. In cell no. 10 of Vimala vasahi, Abu, an image of Neminātha was installed by Dasaratha, the son of Mahinduka, the grandson of Mantri Nedha, and an
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