Jaina Archaeological Heritage of Tamilnadu

Author(s): A Ekambarnathan
Publisher: Bharat Varshiya Digambar Jain Mahasabha

Page 83

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JAINA ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF TAMILNADU
a throne. Saudharmendra and Sachi anoint him with milk, which is portrayed as thin strands of white. The divine elephant Airavata, mounted on whom the Master came, stands near the divine couple. His eyes too shine with eagerness as he watches the spectacle. To the right of the Lord, other celestials stand holding sacred vessels; one of them has fallen down as he doubted the holiness of the Lord.
In a panel directly above this, Saudharmendra is shown dancing in the presence of the Tirtankara. The following panel shows how Mahavira subdued Sangama, who had (assuming the form of a snake) entwined himself around the tree just by exerting pressure on his tail with His legs. The gentle strength of the Tirtankara is clearly manifest in this episode. To the left of this panel, the enthronement of the Tirtankara is depicted. The rest of the painting is lost. The remnants of this painting have depictions of a chauri-bearer, four celestials with wings and the Sun and the Moon paying obeisance to the Tirthankara.
Towards the north of the ceiling, a group of women riding horse back in circle is painted. Of eight figures, only three remain. The painting effectively captures their excitement and exuberance as they move. Their dresses have complicated patterns on them. The central part of this composition is occupied by Saudharmendra on Airavata. These perhaps formed the group of celestials who had come to watch the coronation of the Mahavira.
Towards southern end of the ceiling is found, the usual canopy or the ullova pattern. This is a theme which has been persistently used in the Jaina paintings from very ancient times. In the remaining
portion of the paintings in the ceiling are seen, rows Jain Educatof circles and circles having a rosette in the centre,
sonal use on