Jaina Shrines In India

Author(s): O P Tandon
Publisher: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Vovernment of India

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II. North India
MATHURA holds a pre-eminent place in the art of Indian iconography and new architectural complex that developed in the wake of fresh motivations of Kushana plastic arts. The city has yielded numerous Jaina temples and relics which are associated with the Jaina tradition. According to Jinaprabha Suri (14th Century) Mathura had a stipa of gold and jewels which had been built by the goddess Kubera in honour of Supȧrsvanátha, the seventh Tirthankara. Another tradition records Mathura to be the birthplace of Neminatha which has been contested by another tradition found
in the Uttara Purana.
Mathura which is famous for Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jaina shrines, developed famous schools of art which may be traced back to the second century B.C. This is supported by an inscription recording the dedication of a pasada torana by a Sravaka called Uttarada Saka. Several dedications of Viharas, devakulas and ayagapatas (Pl. II) are known from Mathura. The Kankali Tila, explored by Cunningham, Growse and Fuhrer, yielded a very large number of temple remains, sculptures, ayagapata and components of gateways. Inscriptions on the slabs and images provide varied ganas, sakhas and Kulas. These are the Jaina's sangha. The architrave of the gateway of stupa at Mathura is suggestive of the city life of the mercantile classes which patronised the Jaina faith to a vast extent. Regarding the earliest Jaina sanctuary at Mathura, it is possible to surmise that it was based on the production of apsidal and quadrilateral shrines as of the Buddhists. Mathura being a prolific centre of art, we find a preponderance of the Jina and other images.
The second phase of development of the temple art is manifested in temples such as the Sobhanatha temple at Sravasti which was constructed by the Gahadavala princes. A damaged brick structure alone is found of this temple. The principal images found in the main shrine are those of Adinatha and other Jinas and Gomedha and Ambika. The temple presents a welter of undefined brick structure of various periods which shows frequent renovation and the undiminished enthusiasm of the Jainas for their faith.
In the excavations at Atranjikhera (Ataranjiya of the Jaina texts) a small temple dedicated to Supärsvanatha was found. A similar Jaina establishment has been found at Hastinapur from where a status of Santinatha was recovered which contained an inscription of A.D. 1176. Ahichchhatra which is principally a Saivite site, has a modern Jaina temple built many decades ago and which has sought to popularise the belief that the name Ahichchhatra, the serpent's hooded umbrella is derived from a legend in the life of Parsvanatha. The temple contains several Jaina images. A more accurate idea of the Gahadavala architecture can be had from the remains of a Jaina shrine at Batesvara (Agra) and the Parasnatha Temple at Bijnaur. Some normative character distinguishes the architectural designs of these temples from the contemporary Brahmanical and Buddhist temple specimen.
Currently, however, we find a Jaina temple complex known as Manya at Dwarhat in district Almora. The principal building material of this temple is stone and not brick as had been usual with the temples of the central Ganga valley.