Jain Temples of Rajasthan

Author(s): Sehdav Kumar
Publisher: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Art Abhinav Publications

Page 55

his Awakening under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha is said to have been moved to infinite compassion for his fellow-beings. He saw them like stems and buds of a lotus in the lake - some immersed in the mud, others just coming out of it or just appearing above the water, and still others beginning to blossom. Seeing this he determined to bring them all to full bloom and to the bearing of fruit. The Buddha thus was invested with the miraculous power of imprinting the image of a lotus flower on the earth at every step that he took
By the second century B.C., in its various artistic manifestations, the lotus was not only the abode of the goddess Sri-Lakşmi, but also her principal attribute.
By the beginning of the Gupta period in the third century the lotus had become the principal seat for most deities of the Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. In many instances, the lotus serves as the principal decorative motif on their halos. The lotus also came to be held in their hands, by Surya - the sun god, by Vişnu,
A ceiling in a bay in the Lunavasihi temple. It is composed of three rectangular courses and a square padimadil. The underside of the courses beautifully de picts a file of projecting
omds. This celling is quite unique in this temple.
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