Jain Rup Mandan

Author(s): Umakant P Shah
Publisher: Abhinav Publications

Page 24

Introduction
Tila, Mathura, shows worship by circumambulation of a Dhvaja-Stambha by a Jaina couple.57
It seems that Jainas adored another type of pillars from fairly early times, at least from the Kuşāņa period if not earlier. The Kahaon pillar (in U.P.) with an inscription of the Gupta period is perhaps the oldest extant Jaina pillar of this type so far discovered. It has on top four Jina figures facing four different directions and one Jina figure at the base.58 This is the type known as the Manastambha or the Mänavakastambha in early Jaina texts of both the sects.50
Some of the four-fold sculptures obtained from Kankali Tila, Mathura, seem to have been either on the top or at the bottom of such Månastambhas since a careful examination has shown that there are sockets either at the top or at the bottom of these sculptures for joining another stone. This proves the existence of the practice of erecting Manastambhas in front of Jaina shrines in the Kuşāna period.
The practice of erecting pillars or votive columns is very old in India. The pillars not only remind us of votive columns one of whose early types was the wooden sthūņā of the Vedic age, but also the Yüpa of Vedic sacrifices. 60
Coomaraswamy drew our attention to the reliefs of Amaravati81 where the Buddha is represented as a fiery pillar with wheel-marked feet below supported by a lotus, and with a 'triśula-head', and has remarked that they "represent the survival of a purely Vedic formula in which Agni is represented as the axis of the universe, extending as a pillar between the Earth and Heaven."62 The worship of Agni as Skambha (or a sthùnă) should, according to Coomaraswamy, he regarded as the origin of later practice of erecting pillars dedicated to different deities and surmounted by their vahanas (dhvajas) or by symbols like the Dharma-cakra.
(According to the Jivājivābhigama-sútra, a Jaina canonical text, there was a big manipithaka in the centre of the Sudharma Sabhā of Indra. On it was a Caitya-Stambha called Mänavaka, in the central part of which were gold and silver boards with pegs. (naga-danta, of ivory) with hangers (sikkaka) attached to the latter. In these hangers were round boxes of vajra (diamonds) with bones of many Jinas preserved therein, worshipped by gods and goddesses. On the Mänavaka-Caitya-Stambhas were placed aşta-mangalas and umbrellas.
The Digambara text Adipurana describes a type of pillars known as the Manastambha, in the first rampart of the Samavasarana (congregation hall or theatre, erected by gods, in which the Tirthankara delivers his sermon). At the base of these pillars on four sides were placed four golden images of the Jinas. The pillars were lofty and adorned with bells, fly-whisks, etc.63 They were placed on triple platforms and on top were triple umbrellas. Being erected by Indra, they were called Indra-Dhvajas. They are also described by the Digambara text Tiloya pannatti which says that the Jina images were on top of such pillars. 64 The pillars found in front of Parsvanātha Basti on Candragiri, Cannanna Basti on Vindhyagiri and Bhandari Basti in Sravana Belagola are Manastambhas.
The Indra-dhwaja is perhaps an ancient diraja-pillar associated with the Indra-maha 65 referred to in Jaina canons, and reminiscent of the worship of the ancient Vedic god Indra. It may be noted that even today, when a Jina image is taken out in procession in a car (ratha), in front of the procession is an Indra-dhvaja, with flags on all sides, also carried in a car.
The Bhagavati-sütra discusses supernatural powers of certain classes of Jaina monks who can fly to the mythical Nandiśvara-dvīpa and worship the Caityas (Ceiyaim) thereon. Obviously these Caityas are the Sasvata-Jina-ayatanas situated on the different mountains and also referred to as Siddhayatanas in different texts.
The Jaina texts refer to madaga-ceiya (mstaka-caitya),67 i.e., funeral caityas, madaya-thubhiya (mstakastūpa), i.e., funeral stūpa and devaya-ceiva (daivata-caitya), i.e., caitya (image as well as edifice) dedicated to gods (for worship).68 Caityas existed in the pre-Buddhist epoch, at least in the sixth century B.c., or, say in the latter part of the Sutra period. These caityas were sanctuaries, holysteads, both with or without an icon, including the dhatu-caityas (funeral relics, memorial structures) referred to in Buddhist texts.
The description of the Purnabhadra Caitya (which is the Jaina canonical stock description of a Caitya= a Jakkha-ayatana, a Yakşa shrine) in the Aupapatika-sútra does not refer to any image of the yaksa worhipped therein and describes only the Pythvi-sila-pasa on a simhasana at the stem of the Asoka tree