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Description and Chronology of Caves
231 matulunga, while in the upper two hands are held a sarpa each. Above his head is a single snake-hood. He is fully decked. There is small, seated figure of a Jina on his crown (Plate 169).
3. Parsvanātha: 4.8m by 3m.
He is seated in ardhapadmāsana on a thick cushion placed on a throne. Above the head is a nine-hooded snake, while the coils are shown in three layers behind. The hair is shown in curls. The ears are long and touch the shoulders. On the chest is a curved line. He has a trivali grivā. The throne has five compartments with a wheel in the central compartment, lions in the side compartments and elephant heads in the middle compartments. In front of the central compartment are two devotees, a male to right and female to left. Both are seated in ardhapadmāsana with hands in añjali mudra and an akşamala between as in case of the bearded devotee. They are fully decked, but do not wear crown.
Above the central compartment, in front of the cushion is another small icon of Parsvanātha, seated in ardhapadmāsana on a cushion and with a seven-hooded snake. He is flanked by a male devotee to right and female devotee to left.
This small icon is attached with the cushion of the larger icon. On the space above this junction is a yantra, which has eighty-one small squares with a flower in the central square and letters in the rest of the squares. As the icon has been painted recently, most of the letters have disappeared.
There is a five-lined devanagari inscription on the cushion, which records the donation of the icon by one Chakresvara from Vardhanapura. It reads:
1. "Hail, in the year 1156 of the famous Saka era, in the year (of the Brihaspati cycle) called Jaya. In Sri Vardhanapura was born Ranugi......his son (was) Galugi [Mhalugi] (whose) wife (was) Svarna (dear) also to the world. 2. From those two sprang four sons, Chakresvara and the rest. Chakresvara was chief among them excelling through the virtue of liberality. 3. He gave, on the hill that is frequented by Chāranas, a monument of Parsvanātha, and by (this act of) liberality (he made) an oblation of his karma. 4. Many huge images of the lordly Jinas he made, and converted the Chāranadri thereby into a holy tirtha, just as Bhārata (made) Mount Kailasa (a tirtha). 5. The unique image of faith, of firm and pure convictions, kind, constant to his faithful wife, resembling the tree of paradasie (in liberality), Chakresvara becomes a protector of the pure faith, a fifth Vasudeva. Phalguna 3, Wednesday." (Burgess and Indraji 1881: 98
99).
4. Padmāvati: This four-armed figure stands in dvibhanga. The right lower hand is held in abhaya mudrā with an akşamālā as in the case of Dharanendra. In upper right hand is an ankuśa, in upper left hand is a pasa, while in lower left hand is held a mātulunga. Above her head is a single hooded snake. She is fully decked (Plate 170).
5. Devotee: This figure is similar to the devotee on the right (Plate 170).
