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Survey of Jaina Monuments of Orissa
107
by lions on each corners. Its crowning element consists of amalaka, khapuri and the pinnacle, a lotus bud. On four directions, the chaumukha represents figures of Rşabha, Mahāvīra, Sāntinātha and Chandraprabha, standing in kāyotsarga pose within separate decorative niches.
The villages of Martasol and Manikchauk are closely situated to the river Survarnarekha near Jalesore. On the bark of the river are noticed heaps of ancient ruins and brick structures. Along with the images noted above a basketful of potteries containing votive lamps of different shapes have also been collected by the Orissa State Museum. The site is first vanishing due to the proximity of river Suvarnarekha. The people of the local villages confront with ancient remains at the time of cultivation and other digging operations.
Extensive ruins of Buddhist and Jaina relics have been traced at Ayodhya, a place six miles from Nilgiri, the Sub-Divisional headquarters of Balasore district. The place is surrounded in three sides by rivers like Ghagra, Sona and Sindhu and the remaining one by the Nilgiri range of hills. The ruins of the place were earlier examined by N. N. Vasu, P. Acharya, K.C. Panigrahi, N.K. Sahu and others, but all of the recorded the Buddhist heritage of the place ignoring the high watermark Jainism attained at this place. Ruins of a number of temples, earth mounds, abandoned walls, etc. are noticed all around the area and priceless archaeological objects are occasionally traced while ploughing the fields for agricultural operations, renovation of silted up tanks and digging wells and trenches for house sites. The local people had a brisk trade on such antiquities in the past. Discovery of dilapidated wells and foundation of ancient temples seem to be a matter of frequent cccurrence and the local people for fear of legal complicacies cover them again or destroy them completely for purpose of cultivation and construction of houses. Still a large number of stone slabs, decorative fragments, āmalakas, etc. are lying scattered in a place half a mile west of the village known as Khandāvādi. It may be reasonably believed that this place in the past had most of the ancient shrines. The present Khuntia temples of the village must have utilised the dressed stones of the earlier temples and the stupas. The sixteen sided monolithic dhvojastambha installed in front of the Marichi temple was brought from this place. Peculiarly enough, this dhvajastambha is crowned by a lion, the vehicle of Mahāvīra and the Sasanadevi Ambikā of the Jaina pantheon. In the premises of the modern temples some loose sculptures of Buddhist and Jaina affiliation are kept.
Inside the Maninagesvar temple two pieces of sculptures have been loosely kept near the Siva linga. One of them is the figure of Rşabhanātha and the other of yakşa Gomeda and Yakşini Ambikā. A beautifully carved Pārsvanatha image is resting on the outer wall of this temple.
The two armed Rşabhanātha image (Fig. 98) is carved standing on a double petalled Ictus pedestal in käyotsarga posture. His vehicle, the bull is found below the pedestal. Chauri bearers, eight planets, umbrella, kevala tree, flying figures with garlands in hand, heavenly music as well as a decorative arch are all carved along with the image.
