Jain Rup Mandan

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

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Jaina-Rupa-Mandana relevant reading as pratimăvo dve thupe devanirmite instead of the earlier reading pratimă vodve thupe etc. Often when two images were donated or cast or fashioned at the same place one had the inscription on one of the two images only but referring to both the images. We have a similar instance of the two big standing Jina bronzes cast by the artist Sivanāga and installed in Samvat 744, obtained from the Vasantagadha hoard, now in worship in a Jina shrine at Pindwada, published in Lalita Kala, nos. 1-2. I am thankful to Prof. Alsdorf for informing me about Lüders's correction.
The origin of this Stupa of Kankali Tila, Mathura was forgotten and it was supposed to be Devanirmita, built by gods. Haribhadra sūri in c. early seventh century A.D. also called it Devanirmita.80 The expression may also mean erected by or gift of a person named Deva or it could have been regarded as work of Deva school of art. Taranatha in his history of Buddhism speaks of Deva and Naga artists,81 As we have shown in Studies in Jaina Art, p. 12, it is better to regard this stūpa as a stúpa of Pārsvanātha rather than of Supārsvanatha.
Digambara texts like the Brhat-kathā-kośa of Harişena (932 A.D.) give a story of the origin of Five Stūpas at Mathura, all built by gods, during a controversy with the Buddhists.82 Somadown, the author of Yaśastilaka-campū,83 gives a similar account but refers to only one Devanirmita stūpa at Mathura. Rājamalla in his Jambūsvāmicarita refers to the repair of Mathura Stūpas.84 A Pancastūpānvaya or a Pancastūpanikaya is connected with the locality of Mathura and Jinasena, the author of Jayadhavala, says that he belonged to this lineage of Jaina monks.85
The Paharpur copper-plate, dated in the year 159 (478 A.D.) refers to Pañca-stūpa-nikāya.86 It is therefore certain that in and around Mathura Five Jaina Stupas existed.
The Ayaga pața dedicated by Vásu, the daughter of courtesan Lonaśobhikā (Fig. 14B in Studies in Jaina Art) may be acknowledged as representing at least one type of Jaina stūpa.87 The stūpa-drum, standing on a high platform, was reached by a long flight of steps. In front of this platform, all around perhaps, were niches with images. The flight of steps led to the circumambulatory which had, at its entrance near the top of the flight of steps, a torana-gateway. Perhaps there were such flights of steps and torana-gateways facing all the four directions. All around the circumambulatory path there was a stone or wooden railing and the various apsarasas or yaksis and coping stones found from Kankali Tila came from such a railing. The triple-arch of the gateway is reminiscent of the Sanchi gateway. From the middle of it hangs a vandana-målā, an auspicious garland. The drum seems to be in three tiers. High above the pradaksinā path is another railing, then a band of decorative motif and then perhaps another railing or a band with lotus (?) motif demarcating the third tier from where the rounding off of the anda begins. The stupa-drum is perhaps straight in height till this point.
Perhaps the big platform was square in plan and had huge pillars on four corners. Two huge pillars of Persepolitan style are shown on two sides of the drum, at two ends, in the Ayāgapata set up by Väsu. The pillar on the right in this plaque is surmounted by the dharmacakra. The capital and top of the pillar on the left are partly worn out and indistinct. On the analogy of the āyāgapata donated by Sihanädika (Smith's Jaina Stupa, pl. III, no. J.249 in Lucknow Museum) this other pillar was surmounted by some animal in the Tablet gifted by Vásu (no. Q.2 in the Mathura Museum). Almost of the same type was the representation of the Jaina stūpa on the mutilated Ayagapața donated by Sivayasas (Smith, Jaina Stupa, pl. XII, Aspects of Jaina Art and Architecture, fig. 1 on plate opp. page 74). Here the toranagateway is surmounted by two triratna symbols, one on each end, while the Jaina technical name for the honey-suckle like symbol in the centre is yet unknown. This tablet dates from c. first century B.C. both from the style of the two dancing female figures and from the paleography of the inscription incised on it. It is certainly earlier than the āyāgapata donated by Väsu.
A stone panel, a frieze or a Torana-beam, from the Kankali Tila, no. J.535 in the Lucknow Museum, illustrated here as Fig. 10 A, depicts the worship of a Stupa by two Suparnas and at feast five Kinnaras. The mutilated and lost right end of the beam possibly showed a sixth Kinnara. Here also it seems that the Stūpa is of a high cylindrical type with three tiers clearly marked by three railings. The platform is not shown but perhaps it is taken for granted. About this scene Smith remarked that the beam "may have belonged to the ancient Stupa which was believed to have been built by gods ... and is certainly