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NEELIMA VASHISHTHA
A NOTE ON THE COLOSSAL JINA IMAGE OF GARH
The tradition of representing the Jina-Tirthankaras in colossal size was in vogue during the 10th and 11th centuries in India A number of colossal images, though varying in height, are found in Bihar, 1 Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and South India Among them the highest is the famous image of Bahubalı also known as Gommatesvaras in Sravana-Belgola in the south Kanara district of Mysore state This image was set up in the reign of the Ganga kingRajamalla by Chamunda Raya between 974-84 A D4 Other statues of Bahubalı are also found in the villages of Enur and Kar kala in the district of South Kanara 5 Another 57 feet high image of a Tirthankara is Qarved on the rocks of the fort of Gwalior All these images are alike and remarkable for their colossal height They are represented standing in the Kayotsarga mudra Except for their nudity and the mark of Srivatsa on the chest, they are very much like the Buddha images In fact, it is not possible to identify the
*Tagore Research, Fellow Department of History and Indian Culture, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur 1 An image of Tirthankara is found at Pakbira in the Manbhuma district, Bihar See, PC Roy Choudhury, Jainism in Bihar, Patna, 1956, pl no 6 2 The image of Turthankara which is 12 feet in height is found at Gandhavala in the Devas district (Madhya Pradesh) For details see, SP Gupta and BN Sharma, "Gandhayala aur Jaina Murtiyan" (in Hindi), Anekanta, XIX (1-2), 1966 67, p 129 and plate I fig 1 3 In South India the colossal images of the saints were also made and worshipped like the Tirthankaras, because it was believed that any purified soul could attain the similar status as that of the Tirihonkaras 4 R Narasimhachar "Sravana Belgola", Quarterity Journal of the Mythic Society XIII, 1922, p 436, See also, JSF Mackenzie, "Sarvana Belligola", Indian Anit quary, II, 1873, pp 129 and 265-322 5 A C Burnell, On the colossal Jain Statue at Karakala " Indian Antiquary II, 1873, PP 353 4
Sharma, "Cando tevesi (Madhya Pradeshs 12_feet u
Jana
ped in South In Plate
