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Jain Thought and Culture
Roof-niches
Between the two eastern balcony-projections of the south facade the last course of the roof shows a niche containing an image of eight-armed Cakresvarı seated on garuda The goddess carries pasa, an indistinct object, and vajra in the right hands, and vajra, an indistinct object, and cakra in the left hands the fourth being broken! This figure is flanked on each side by a female attendent In the proper left niche occurs a seated Jina, while in the right niche occurs Ambika Yaksi seated in lalıtasana and carrying a child.
On the corresponding north, side, the roof niches show Cakresvarı Yaksi, flanked by female attendants which are now defaced On the proper right occurs a seated Jina, while on the left occurs Ambika-Yaksi seated in lalıtasana This is an exact replica of what we have on the south face A little above this niche we have a seated Tirthankara in a niche flanked by attendants in the side niches
OUTER NICHES The outer niches are now described from the south-east in the order of pradaksina East face
Niche I on the south-east corner of the jangha shows an eightarmed goddess seated in lalıtasana on a lotus, below is represented a bird mount with two heads, one regardant and the other looking down The right hands of the goddess hold a tapering object which may be a gada, (the second is broken), lotus flowers and caurt, while the left hands carry cauri, ilag, (the third is broken) and bow Is she Padmavatı Yaksi riding kukkutalı ? South face
Niche II on the jangha shows a four-armed goddess seated in lalitasana on alotus, carrying sword, cakra, shield, and sankha Elephant mount is depicted below the lotus-seat Is she Purusadatta, the yaksı of the fifth Tirthankara ?
All the six principal niches (Niches III-VIII) on the south facade are empty But there were minor niches in the deep recesses, flanking the bhadras (main projections) of the sanctum on each side,
1 The attributes are reckoned clock-wise starting from the lower right hand,
