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174
Jaina Monuments of Orissa
end of a sculptured frieze and over some object or panel having religious affinity and the manner of their disposition renders them as a subject of deep study in early Indian art and iconography.
The frieze of the upper main wing of Rāņi-Gumpha commences with a flying Vidyadhara, wearing an elaborate head dress, a dhoti with plaits dangling in front, a floating scarf (chadar), Kundalas, a necklace and bangles and holding in his outstretched left hand, a tray of flowers and a roll of garland and in the right stalks of a lotus and three buds interlaced with each other intended for offering. The modelling of the figure, specially in the lower portion, is supple, and the entire composition is clearly indicative of the warmth of fervour characterising a devotee. The artist's skill is displayed in the garland hanging from the tray, folds of scarf and cloth, the inter-weaving of lotus stalks. The flying figure on the other end, holding a garland in his right hand and a tray of flowers in his left lacks in the lavish display of costumes, and decorative ornaments as well as the modelling of limbs, spirit and vigour as that of its counterpart though visualised in the same fashion and style. The flying figures on either ends of the facade of Jaya-Vijaya-Gumphả have not attained so much perfection as that of Rāņi-Gumphā. The Vidyādhara of Mafchapuri-Gumphā hastens towards the object of worship in the attitude of scattering flowers from a tray held in his left hand. The Ananta-Gumphā ones are flying in haste from pillared halls having barrel-vaulted roofs, with garlands and trays of flowers towards arches containing objects of worship. The one on the extreme left almost snatches away in haste a garland from the tray borne on the head of a flerce looking dwarfish Gana with long ears. They too are dressed in dhoti and chadar, the ends of which are fluttering in the air. Their heads are enveloped in large heavy turbans, on their wrists are bangles and massive rings are pendent from their ears.
While discussing the relief sculptures of Rāņi-Gumphā Stell-kramrisch observes.28 "It begins with the frenzied on rush of a youthful male figure, carrying a tray with floral offerings in the left and full blown lotus in the right. Its impetuous movement is a direct descendant of that of the flying Gandharva of Mañchapuri-Gumpha. The hovering of the Ananta-Gumphā has sunk into oblivions. Moreover, the movement which in the first storey amounted to a gliding just above the surface of the earth, now seems to emerge from it, the left foot is still half covered by it, it is no longer a movement from above downward, nor a hovering in mid air, nor a gliding above the surface, but a frenzied gesture of freedom utterred with conviction of one who masters the decorative side of every excellence".
The display of linear design consist of mostly the bead, bead and reel, vertical and horizontal lines within sections, curved lines eaclosing half medallions or enclosing arch-bands and floral devices within them and circles within circles bordering the bracket figures. The shafts of Ananta-Gumphā door pilasters are decorated with vertical rows of the bead and reel, diamond shaped jali, spiral flutings, alternate with vertical line of bead
28. Qtd. B.M. Barua, Old Brahmi Inscriptions, p. 313,
