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CHAPTER 35
ICONOGRAPHY
CANONS
LITERARY SOURCES FOR A STUDY OF JAINA ICONOGRAPHY DATE FROM THE earliest known Jaina texts, namely, the Jaina canonical literature of the Angas and Upangas (but excluding later commentaries thereon). But no definite canon about the iconometry or iconography of Jaina images is found. Of course we have references to Jaina images and shrines in the stock descriptions of the Siddhāyatanas. These descriptions include other items of Jaina worship such as the stūpas, the mana-stambhas, etc. It is difficult to say whether the very few references to images and shrines of Arhats, obtained in the Bhagavati, the Uvasaga-dasão and the Nayadhamma-kahão are as old as the age of Mahavira or his immediate successors. Nowhere is it mentioned that Mahāvira and his ganadharas visited any Jaina shrine. It is therefore not possible to expect any reference to Tirthankara images and shrines in the older strata of the Jaina canons which were re-edited in early fourth century A.D. at Mathură as well as Valabhi in two separate councils and again in a council at Valabhi in about A.D. 470. However, the torso and legs of a Tirthankara sculpture, with Mauryan polish on it,' obtained from Lohanipur, an extension of the site of Pāšaliputra, shows that at least in the age of Samprati, the grandson of Asoka, worship of Tirthankara images had already come into vogue. Jaina traditions speak of Samprati being converted to Jainism by Arya Suhasti.
1 The following references may be ooted : (a) nanattha Arihante vd Arthanhta-celyäni vå bhdviyappanosisde uddham uppayari java sohammo kappo...(Bhagavatf-sutra, 3, 2, sütra 145, p. 175), (b) ta enam Anande Gandval.. evan vaydsi no khalu me bhante kappai aljappabhiyim anna-utthie vå anna-utthiya devayáni vá anna-utthiya-parlggahiyāni Arihanta-ceiyaim va vandittae vă namam-sittae va (Uvasaga-dasão, Bhavnagar ed., p. 14). Abbayadeva-Sari, commenting, says : anya-yüthikadalvatant vd Hari-Haradini. anya-yrithika-parigrhitänivå Arhac-caityani. Arhat-pratimdlaksanāni yatha bhauta-parigrhitant maha-kala-laksanani. Ibid., p. 15. It will be seen that this passage of the Uvdsaga-dasdo refers to a later stage in Jaina history when Jaina shrines came to be appropriated by other sects. (c) The Naya-dhamma-kahdo refers to the worship of Jina images by Draupadi in her house-shrine (grha-caltya). But in its existing form, the text scems to post-date the division into Svetämbara and Digambara texts.
* See above, p. 71, plate 21.-Editor.]
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