Jaina Rock Cut Caves In Western India Part 01

Author(s): Viraj Shah
Publisher: Agam Kala Prakashan

Page 85

Description and Chronology of Caves
59 there are a panel of pañchaparamesthis, Padmāvati and two other goddesses. In J19A and J20A is a goddess each.
In J3, the panels of Parsvanātha-Bahubali are on the sidewalls of the ante chamber and Sarvānubhūti-Ambikā are on the backwall of the hall. Each of the side walls is covered with a standing Jina and a smaller seated Jinas in three tiers.
J2 or Chhota Kailasa has different iconographic programme. Here the figures of Sarvānubhūti-Ambikā are absent, while the panels of Parsvanātha-Bahubali are curved on the back wall of the hall. The panel of Parsvanatha is depicted twice. Unlike other caves, the figures of the Jinas are carved in three vertical rows between the pilasters. The sidewalls of the shrine also have icons, seated Jina and Chakresvari on the right sidewall and two seated Jinas in the left sidewall. The back wall of the main verandah as large dancing figure of Saudhāramendra on each side. The gopura or Jl has a large figure of Chakresvari along with three seated Jinas. Similarly, J21 also follows a different pattern of iconographic placement and style. The panels of Parsvanatha-Bahubali are absent here. Only a very small panel of attack on Parávanātha appears on a pilaster of the left sidewall. The figures of Sarvānubhūti-Ambikā are carved near the shrine doorway. But here they are carved on a mass of rock left in front of the back wall of the hall and not directly on the wall (Plate 35). The front wall forming the corners, the back wall and the centre of each sidewall are carved with large figures of seated Jinas. The rest of the portions of the sidewalls are carved with seated Jinas in two tiers (Plate 36), while the pilasters are carved with seated Jinas in three tiers.
Jina figures
The seated figures of Jina are in ardhapadmasana on a throne. The head is usually shown plain with a small uşnişa. Some of the figures, mainly shrine images have curs or dots on the heads. Behind the head is a halo that is plain in most cases, except the shrine images, which usually have a decorative border around the halo. Above the head is a triple chhatra, which is of diminishing order in most cases. The tree of the Jina is shown in the form of leaves, either on the chhatra or on each side of the halo below the chhatra. Though each Jina has a separate tree in Jaina iconography (Gupte 1972: 177-178), all the Jinas at Ellora are depicted with mango trees. The srivatsa and the lanchhana are absent (Plate 37). The standing Jinas are in kayotsarga mudra.
In most cases, the throne has a wheel flanked by lions, each in a separate compartment formed by plain bars or decorative pilasters in some cases. In some cases, there are three lions, while the wheel is absent. The shrine image of J18 has five compartments, the middle compartments with elephant heads. The shrine inages of J19 and J20 and a Parsvanatha icon in J21 have elephant head on each side of the throne. In a number of icons in J21, the wheel is placed on the head of a corpulent male figure, probably a yaksa. The shrine image of the same cave has five compartments with lions in the side compartments and a corpulent figure of seated yaksa in the central compartment, instead of wheel (Plate 38). In a number of cases, a thin cushion is carved on the throne, while some of the icons in J21 also have a cloth spread on the cushion and hanging in front. The throne back usually has a plain horizontal and two plain vertical bars or decorative pilasters in some cases. There are makara heads at the ends of the horizontal