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List of Plates with Acknowledgements
Frontispiece (Pl. I). Kamatha's hordes attacking Pārsvanatha. From Eastern Rajasthan or U.P., now in Indian Museum, Calcutta. Age, c. seventh century A.D. Ref. Shah, U.P., A Pārsvanatha Sculpture in Cleveland, Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art for December 1970, pp. 302-311 and plates. Copyright, Indian Museum, Calcutta.
Fig. 1 (Pl. II). Mutilated, headless, red-stone statuette from Harappa.
A surface-find only, cannot be definitely assigned to the Chalcolithic period. The circular frontal depressions on shoulder-fronts suggest that either extra hands or something was attached which goes against the identification of the statuette as that of a Tirthankara. Ref. Studies in Jaina Art, fig. 1, pp. 3-4. Copyright, Archaeological Survey of India.
Fig. 2 (Pl. II). Polished stone torso of a standing Jina figure from Lohanipur, Patna, Bihar. The site is an extension of the ancient site of Pataliputra at Kumrahar, Patna. The torso with parts of legs and arms mutilated has the typical Mauryan high polish on it. Ref. Jayaswal, K.P., Jaina Images of the Mauryan Period, JBORS, XXIII.1, pp. i-iv, 130-132 and Banerji-Shastri, Mauryan Sculptures from Lohanipur-Patna, JBORS, XXVI.2, 120ff, Studies in Jaina Art, pp. 5-6, Fig. 2. Note that the figure stands in the typical Jaina kayotsarga posture. Copyright, Patna Museum, Patna, Bihar.
Attempts are made recently to assign it to c. 1st-2nd cent. A.D. since the polish continued for a few centuries after Mauryan period. The polished shining N.B.P. ware in different colours was found from foundations of Ghoṣitārāma at Kausambi. Shall we assign the finds from foundations of Ghoṣitārāma to second cent. B.C. or even to 2nd cent A.D. since the N.B.P. seems to have continued for a long time? This type of reasoning advanced for post-dating everything is not valid. Only silver punch-marked coins and bricks of a size also popular in Mauryan period were found from this Jaina temple site. As already noted the site is an extension of ancient Pataliputra site. Samprati, the grandson of Aśoka, is well-known in ancient Jaina traditions as a convert to and a great patron of Jainism. Even now all orthodox Jainas assign all traditionally known old images to the gifts of Samprati. Udayana, the successor of Ajātaśatru, is known to Jaina canons as having built a temple to a Jina at Pataliputra. Kharavela in his inscription refers to the image of Kalinga Jina once carried off by Nanda king which shows that image worship in temples seems to have started already in Pataliputra not long after the Nirvana of Mahavira. A few years ago, B.B. Lal has unearthed a terracotta Jina figure, assigned to c. 3rd cent. B.C., from Ayodhya.
Fig. 3 (Pl. III). Metal image of standing Pārsvanatha, now in Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. Findspot or source not known.
For detailed discussion about the age of this image assigned by us to c. 1st cent. B.C., see Shah, U.P., Jaina Bronzes-A Brief Survey, Aspects of Jaina Art and Architecture, pp. 273-74. Chemical analysis of the metal alloy used in this image is overdue. Copyright, Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. Fig. 4 (Pl. IV). Brass or Bronze image of standing Rsabhanatha with hair on head and hair-locks falling on shoulders. From Chausa, Bihar, now in Patna Museum, Arch. no. 6538. Modelling shows Gandhara influence. Age, c. 3rd or 4th cent. A.D. Ref. H.K. Prasad, Jaina Bronzes in the Patna Museum, Shri Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya Golden Jubilee Volume, p. 280; Patna Museum Catalogue, Pl. XX. Copyright, Patna Museum, Patna.
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