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jaina Iconography of Orissa
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16. Mahāmānasi
Mahāmānasi as the Sāsanadevi of Santinātha, the sixteenth Tirthankara of the Jainas is carved seated in Yogāsana pose (padmāsana) on a double petalled lotus pedestal in Bārabhuji-Gumphā of Khandagiri hill. Her conventional mark of cognizance, the peacock is significantly omitted here. In her two hands she holds stalks of full-blown lotus flowers. Two elephants, perched on the lotuses are seen flanking the image at the top in order to pour sacred water from the pitchers held in their trunks. The oval shaped halo is depicted behind her head as usual. 42
The representation agrees more to the conception of the abhişeka form of Lakşmi than the canonical description of the Sāsanadevi of Santinatha in which case she must have disc, fruit, sword (?) and Varada mudra in four hands.
17. Vijaya
Vijayā has been associated with the seventeenth Tirthankara, Kunthunātha as Sāsanadevi. Her only representation in Bārabhuji-Gumphā is found seated in lalita pose on a plain pedestal. Her vehicle, the buffalo in this case is partially damaged. The text, however, provides a black boar as the riding animal for the Sasanadevi.
In her ten hands she displays in the right varada mudra, a staff like object, hook (ankuša), disc and rosary (?) and in the left a three pronged object, perforated disc, conch (?), stalk of full blown lotus and water pot. The avilable text refers the figure as fourarmed with conch, sword, disc and Varada mudrā as attributes in respective hands.43
18. Tårā
Aranātha's Sāsanadevi, has been represented in lalita pose on a plain pedestal in Bārabhuji-Gumphā only. In her two hands she is shown with Varada mudrà in the right and the stalk of a full-blown lotus in the left contrary to the four hands mentioned in the text. Her present mount the animal resembling a boar (or elephant) with head broken is also a departure from the conventional vehicle, the swan. The oval shaped halo is shown behind the head as usual.44
This two armed figure with the attributes in hands is a wholesale adoption from the Buddhist-Goddess Tärā.
19. Aparajitā
The only figure of Aparajita, Sāsanadevi of Mallinātha is found seated in lalitasana pose on a plain pedestal within the group of Sasanadevis of Barabhuji-Gumpha. Her vehi
42. Ibid, p. 136. 43. Ibid, p. 137. 44. Ibid, p. 138.
