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Description and Chronology of Caves
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and twenty-fourth tirthankaras. In addition to the lañchhana, Parsvanatha also has a seven-hooded snake above the head.
Date
The caves on the peaks of Mangi and Tungi are the latest Jaina excavations in Maharashtra. According to Banerji, these caves are not earlier than the 14th century CE. Numerous pilgrims' records, many of which are dated, show that the caves were in existence before the 15th and 16th century (1921-22: 66-69). It is difficult to date these caves as they are completely renovated at present. Most of the inscriptions have vanished and of those extant, most, except three long inscriptions, appear to be of much later date and record only the names of monks. The icons on the rock face are covered in modern structures, while the caves are tiled. Even some of the icons have been retouched, as is evident from an earlier photograph (Banerji 1921-22: Plate XXXIIb). Thus, the style of the sculptures is completely changed. Still, some of the badly preserved icons on Mangi, which lay in open, are left as they are. The icons on Tungi peak have not been much tampered with and thus can be used for stylistic comparisons.
The architecture as well as iconography of these caves is very different. These are hardly 'caves'. Most of the icons are carved directly on the rock face, while a few caves are cut. The caves are in the form of rooms, a little more than the natural caverns. The iconographic programme is quite different from all the earlier sites. There are rows and rows of Jina figures along with a large number of monk figures and some devotee figures. With the exception of two loose icons of Kshetrapala and Ambika in J of Mangi peak as well as an Ambika figure on the Tungi, no yakṣa-yakṣi or other figures are found. The focus is only on Jina and monk figures. There is nothing specific in the Jina parikara. In fact, there is hardly any parikara. Most of the Jina figures are devoid of throne, chauri bearers or any other attendants. However, all of them have śrivatsa, while the seated figures are in padmasana, both of which are late features in Maharashtra, as seen above. An icon in G at Mangi and the panel of five Jinas at Tungi have lañchhanas, while both the Ambika figures occur as independent figures. Thus, the site is definitely late. However, as seen from the style and theme of some of the sculptures, it is clear that all the icons and caves do not belong to the same period. In fact, the excavation activity was spread over a long period, from around 10th to 15th centuries CE.
The earliest sculpture is D on Mangi. The seated figures of Jinas with triple chhatra, halo and small chauri bearers emerging from behind the plain throne back and the figure of a couple under a tree in the same row of Jinas are very similar to Jina figures and the figure of a couple in the lower Cave II. The couple figure is almost identical in the terms of posture and style to its counterpart in the aforementioned cave. Similarly, the Jina figures are also stylistically very close to those in the lower Cave II at Mangi. Thus, this icon belongs to the same period as Cave II, i.e. 10th century CE. Next are two loose icons of Kshetrapala and Ambika. The figure of Ambika can be stylistically dated to the 11th-12th century (Plate 186). It is difficult to determine the age of Kshetrapala figure exactly, as it is now covered with vermilion. But stylistically, it appears to be closer to the Ambika figure. The so-called 'Pancha Pandava' panel on the Tungi is finest among all the sculptures on both the peaks and is stylistically different from the rest. It is unique
