Jaina Stupa At Mathura Art And Icons

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

Page 12

About the Book
significant archaeological artifacts like the 'Ayaga-patas'. After the discovery and the report of Growse and Oxon (1874), and the basic study of Vincent Smith 1901) in the form of Jain Stupa and other Antiquities from Mathura, three or four generations of scholars (like V. S. Agrawala, N. P. Joshi, R. C. Sharma) who were closely associated Jain antiquities of Mathura classified the antiquities, sculpture and imagery at Mathura, and stylistically delineated their characteristics. There was another important historical aspect of the studies in the Jain antiquities, which was pursued with equal fervor, and that pertained to the epigraphs found here. Many scholars contributed to this, but most noteworthy among them were of G. Bühler and H. Luders. The latter's Mathura Inscription is still a standard research tool in present times. Dr. Porwal has been fortunate to receive the enlightened guidance of Professor Sagarmal Jain, who gave her an insight to pore into the iconographic details, not only of the imagery of the Jinas and yaksha-yakshis, but also the monks and nuns that find place in the “saparikara’ images of the Jinas, as a part of the four fold Jain church'. With the help of these, Dr. Porwal has made a laudable exercise to reconstruct the history of the Spread, all over India, of the Jain faith, and the different spiritual groups that form the Jain community as a whole. With the right use of the art historical and archaeological evidence this meticulous piece of research endeavors to trace origin of various schisms in the course of history of the Jain community ; and put that in a rational / historical perspective. As Professor Sagarmal Jain has expressed hopefully in his Foreward to the work, this analysis will not only put the history of the Jain Church in a right historical perspective, but help overcome the chasm of sectarian feelings within the Jain community at large.
A. P. Jamkhedkar K. J. Somaiya Centre for South & Southeast Asian Studies,
Somaiya Vidyavihar, Date : 1st October 2015 Place : Mumbai 400 077