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Jaina Iconography
Tīrthamkaras such as Marudevi, Vijaya etc., Kṣetrapala, the Bhairavas, the Śri or Lakṣmi Devi. And if we cannot establish the correspondence between the so-called "Kumāras" and the Dikpālas or as they are further called Västu-Devas, they may come outside the category of the deities as dealt with before. It is to be noted here that most of these Gods and Goddesses borrowed right from the Brahmanic Pantheon are regarded by the Jainas as devoted adherents of the Tirthamkaras and thus they consider them to be deities of their system and accordingly perform certain Pūjās in honour of them profusely referred to in their ritualistic literature.
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The main characteristics of Jaina Images
The sculpture devoted to religion follows the art tradition of a particular sect. That art-tradition specially in India known for its symbolism, has a mixed growth of ritualism and art forms. The artist was under the religious necessity of carrying out the canonical injunctions in art but his duty was not over there, for he had to make a compromise between symbolism and beauty, the latter clement being demanded from him by the same formalism of religion. Hence, we find, in most images of India, a number of mystical symbols now calling for explanation, side by side with the representation of a true art, exquisite in quality and impressive in form. Such an art had a religious mission to serve: an ugly figure could never gratify a devotee's mind and his thirst for the infinite through a visible form. Hence, all native books on art declare unanimously that the form must be excellent: But this decree was fully satisfied when sculptors of genius were close to hand. Contrarily, ugly figures came out
1.
गौरी गान्धारी सर्वास्त्रमहाज्वाला च मानवी । वैरोट्यच्युता मानसी महामानसिकेति ताः ।। वाग् ब्राह्मी भारती गौर्गीर्वाणी भाषा सरस्वती । श्रुतदेवी वचनं तु व्याहारो भाषितं वचः ॥
Hemacandra's Abhidhanacintamani (Ed. by Otto Boetlingk, ST. Petersberg)
भावरूपानुविद्धाङ्गं कारयेद् बिम्बमर्हतः ।
-Vastusāra & Pratiṣṭhāsära-Samgraha (MSS. N. 68. Jain collection, Jñana Mandir, Baroda)
