Jaina Stupa At Mathura Art And Icons

Author(s): Renuka J Porwal
Publisher: Prachya Vidyapith

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The Jaina Stupa at Mathura: Art & Icons
While studying the sculptures of Mathurā school it appears that the adoration of yakșa and yakṣī was already in practice since 1st era of Kuşāņa or little early. On many images of this art school, yakșas are credited as flywhisk holders of Tīrthařkaras (fig. 43, 81).
4.6 Āryāvatī (fig. 33):
The deity Aryāvatī represented on Āyāgapata with three women attendants - a flywhisk holder, an umbrella holder, and one with a garland as well as a child or devotee. The inscription on the top mentions that it was gifted to Jaina shrine by Amohini in the year 42 or 72 of the reign of Ksatrapa king Śhodāsa. It commences with adoration to Vardhamāna. Here the two uprights have lions on top.
4.7 Negameșa / Harinagameși:
The Jaina canonical literature were aware of the transfer of Mahāvīra's embryo from mother Brāhmani Devānandā to Ksatriyani Trisalā. Here the process of embryo transfer/Garbhaharaṇa is considered as one of the ten wonders narrated in sacred sutras24.
4.8
The Transfer of Embroy as described in Scriptures: In Ācārānga-sūtra25, the incident of transfer of embryo is described with planetary condition of Nakșatra 'Uttarā-phālgunī' including the total days of pregnancy. A detailed description of procedure is recounted in Vyākhyā-prajñapti also known as Bhagavatī-sūtra.26. Accordingly the work of transfer of embryo of mothers was carried out without giving any trouble to them. Hariņegameși was able to perform the work by touching the pores of skin with the help of nails while making all the family members
24 I) Sthānānga-sūtra, part 2,sūtra -777, pp 523 - 21: Samvayanga-sūtra, trans. by
Malavaniya, pp. 891, Kalpasūtra-subodhika Tika,, pp 64. II) Vijayendra sūri, Tīrthankara Mahavīra, 1960, pp 104. 25 Ācārānga-sūtra, second Sruta-skandha, Bhavana Adhikara, pp 388-1-2. 26 I) ...Hariņegameși - sakkasa nam due ithigabham nahasiramsi va romkuvamsi...va. //
Vyakhya Prajnapti, - Shataka 5, Uddesha 4, pp 218/1. II) Vijayendrasūri Tīrthankara Mahāvīra pp. 107.