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Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India
27. Seated Rṣabhanatha: 1.58m by 1.65m.
It is the main icon of the cave, on the back wall of the shrine. The icon is damaged near feet. The figure is similar to other seated Jina figures in the cave. In the centre of the pedestal is shown his lañchhana, bull, in a panel. The icon is placed within a tōraṇa, carved on the back wall. On each side of the Jina is a pilaster, supporting a tōrana arch, which forms a sort of a canopy over the head of the Jina. In the upper member of the pilaster is a diamond in a niche.
On the pedestal, on each side of the bull, is an inscription in Devanagari script, but very unclear (Plate 161).
28. Seated Jina: Im by 0.73m.
The figure is similar to the other figures of seated Jinas. The lañchhana is not clear.
29. Seated Jina: 0.98m by 0.68m.
This figure is also similar to the other icons. Here too, the lañchhana is not clear.
30. Seated Jina: 0.99m by 0.69m.
This figure is also similar to the other icons. The lañchhana is not shown.
There seems to have been a pattern followed in the execution of the iconographic programme. The main Jina is the first tirthankara, Rṣabhanatha. On right sidewall are Sumatinatha, Padmaprabha and Suparśvanatha, the fifth, sixth and seventh tirthankaras. On the back wall of the hall, to the left of the shrine doorway, are Chandraprabha and Pushpadanta, the eighth and nineth tirthankara. Thus, it can be conjectured that the three Jinas on left sidewall of the shrine are Ajitnatha, Sambhavanatha and Abhinandananatha, the second, third and fourth tirthankaras. However, it is difficult to identify the other Jinas because of the lack of lañchhanas in the cases of the rest of Jinas, except Mallinatha, and the depiction of twenty-one Jinas in the cave, instead of twenty-four. Parsvanatha, who is a popular Jina otherwise, is conspicuous by its absence.
Cave II
It also has a hall and a shrine (Fig.70, Plate 162). The hall is 5.5m by 3.3m. The entrance to the cave is in the right sidewall or southern wall of the hall. It is around 1.75m wide. The rock left unexcavated at various stages, in front of the entrance serves as the steps to climb down to the entrance. There is a step in the hall to climb down. As Cave I, the walls of the hall are not uniformly high, but is around 3m high. The right sidewall to the right of the entrance is around 1.3m high, while the upper portion of the wall to the left of the entrance is destroyed.
The shrine doorway, measuring 1.53m by 0.97m has two plain sakhas. The sākās are not carved up to the floor, as the lower portion is plain. The lintel is very eroded. Above the door is a rectangular, shallow niche. There is a double chandraśila in front of the door.
The shrine is 2m wide. It is 2.03m deep along right and 2.1m deep along the left. The walls of the shrine are about 2.75m high.
