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Rajasthan's Contribution to Jain Iconography
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statues were inspired by Jainism, The entire problem of course needs detailed scrutiny before any view is hazarded with a definitive
The Pratap Museum at Udaipur is so well known for the rare statue of Jain Kubera-the presiding deity of wealth and riches Datable to the 8th Century, it is carved out of the greenish blue schist Discovered at Bansı,10 in district Chittor, the seated deity therein holds a citron fruit in the right hand and money-bag in the left The couchant elephant is shown below Above the curly hair of Kubera is an attractive crown studded with a miniature figure of seated Jina and another likewise still above, thus testifying to the Jaina aspect of the deity These miniature Jinas are hardly to be seen in the Brahmanic image of Kuberall in Udaipur Museum itself The Jain Kubera from Bansi is thus a very important Jain sculpture from South Western Rajasthan
Sarvatobhadra Adinatha, from Bharatpur Museum, is equally important from iconographic point of view Here the standing deity is to be seen on all the four sides in strict accordance with the Jain tradition of Samvasarana, so that he could be seen by the debvotees from all the soides Most interesting is that the cardinal directions here present the su me deity, he has got matted locks on the head, the nudity suggests Digambara 12 leanings In fact in early Jaina art of Mathura, we do not come across the same deity on the sides in the Sarvatobhadra statues whereas the Bharatpur Museum specie men truly justifies the textual details In fact none of the Museums in Rajasthan has got such an interesting Sarvatobhadra image
The worship of goddess Mahishamardini by the Jain community in Rajasthan, during the 18th Century, is very well proved by an inscribed white marble image of the Devi combating the buffalodemon, now preserved in Jodhpur Museum, the inscription of VS 1237 on its pedestal clearly refers to her appelation as Sachchika instead of Mahishamardini It is also stated therein that it was installed by a lady who was the Chief of the Jain nuns This is further is specifically stated that Jain Acharya Ratna Prabhu Suri had converted the fierce deul Mahishamardını to the Jain pantheon but under
10 RC Agrawala, Sculptures from Udaipur Museum, 1960, plate X 11 Ibid, plate IX 12 RC Agrawala, Aribus Asiac, Ascona-Switzerland, XXII (3) 1959 pp 205-7, figure 6
