Jain Rup Mandan

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

Page 64

Parents of the Tirtharkaras
SI
A sculpture of a male and a female seated in lalitāsana on a common seat, with haloes behind (obviously showing that they are objects of worship, gods or great souls) seated in a sort of a heavenly vimāna, or a shrine with a sikhara, and a Jina seated to front on top, but without the tree (met with in all the sculptures discussed above), is preserved in the British Museum, London.22 Again, neither the male nor the female carries a child and the pair possibly held lotus in their right hands. The female carries the citron in her left hand. The pedestal shows three dwarfs lifting the vimăna, and four standing males who seem to be musicians. On the pedestal is carved Anantaviryyo in early Nāgari characters, of c. 10th or 11th century A.D. No Yaksa is known as Anantavirya in Jaina literature. But Anantavirya is the name of the twenty-fourth future Jina according to the Digambaras23 and of the twenty-third according to the Svetāmbaras.24 Even then it is difficult to identify this pair, it is just possible that Anantavīryyo merely signifies the name of the donor. One must await future discoveries to obtain a final solution of all such sculptures.
In order to identify the different pairs as parents of the different Tirthankaras, a table of caitya-trees of these Jinas is appended below. It will be seen that the tree under which the pair sits is different in different sculptures, and often there is a tree with thic Jia figure on top.
TABLE II
Caitya-Trees of Tirth ankaras
No.
Tirthankara
Svetambara
Digambara
Same as Sve. Saptaparna Sarala Prayāla Priyangu Chatrā
Sirisa Nāga
1. Rşabhanātha 2. Ajitanātha 3. Sambhavanātha 4. Abhinandana 5. Sumatinātha 6. Padmaprabha 7. Supārsvanātha 8. Candraprabha 9. Puşpadanta (Suvidhinatha) 10. Sitalanatha 11. Sreyāmsanatha 12. Vasupujya 13. Vimalanatha 14. Anantanatha 15. Dharmanatha 16. Säntinatha 17. Kunthünätha 18. Aranatha 19. Mallinātha 20. Munisuvrata 21. Naminatha 22. Neminātha 23. Pārsvanātha 24. Mahavira
Nyagrodha Saptaparna Sala (Shorea Robusta) Piyaka or Priyaka Priyangu (Panicum italicum) Caturabha (Anethum Sava) Sirisa (Acacia Sirisha) Nāga Mali Pilankhu (Plaksa) Tinduga Pāļala (Bignonia Suaveolens) Jambú (Eugenia Jambulana) Asvattha Dadhiparna Nandi (Cedrela-Toona) Tilaka Amra Asoka Campaka (Michelia Champaka) Bakula (Mimusops Elengi) Vetasa Dhataki (Grislea Tomentosa) Sala
Akşa Dhuli Palasa Tenduva Pāțala-Jambu Asvattha Dadhiparna Nandi Tilaka Amra Asoka Campaka Bakula Meşaśrnga Dhava Sala