Jaina Stupa At Mathura Art And Icons

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

Page 27

The Jaina Stupa at Mathura: Art & Icons
was prosperous so many people spent their profits in constructing shrines and idols for the religious needs of the society while rich Śresthis of the town employed skilled artists for constructing magnificent shrines. Many Jaina and Buddhist icons of Mathurā School available from Ahicchatra (fig. 1), Sārnātha and other places show the popularity gained by the Mathurā artists. An idol of Jina, an Ayāgapatta, a Sarvatobhadra idol, etc. assigned to the early Kuşāņa period were recovered from Ahicchatrall Some Buddha images of this School were also unearthed from Sārnātha. These show that artists from Mathurā were commissioned for carving the sculptures from remote places too. Before the Gandhāran artists arrived at Mathurā, the art School of Mathurā flourished in the Sauripura Janapada where Mathurā was its capital. Later on, these artisans were patronized by the Kuşāņa kings. The classical artists of Mathurā have produced gigantic images in round which continued up to the end of Kuşāņa rule. Some colossal Jaina images were also chiselled in round (J.7 L.M., fig. 2,3,4) by them. Many images have depiction of an ascetic, a deity, a devotees, a Caitya-vriksa (.25 L.M. + J.113 L.M.), a mythical animal similar to crocodile (fig. 91, 92)12, an inscription of a donor, etc. on the back and/or on the sides by them. The Indian cultural art of Mathurā is well reflected in the charming Šālabhañjikās in various postures showing their delicacy such as looking in a mirror (fig. 5), arranging hair (fig. 6), visiting religious shrines with offerings (fig. 7), lighting a lamp (fig. 8) etc. In this city cows and women are given best treatment as this is the city of Krsna. The popular lore of the city is"Gokul ki gau aur Mathurā kī chori karma futya ho to bāhara jāye.” Means the cows of Gokul and the daughters of Mathurā go out of the city only if their luck is unfavourable. To this day, the common practice in Mathurā is that every married girl visits her mother's place in the evening and comes back at night. Generally the girls are not married out of the town. The epigraphs of Jaina images also corroborate the
11 I) Rastogi S., Lakhanau Samgrahālaya ki Jain Pratimāyen, (Lucknow, 2002), pp. 33. II) Banerji R.D., "New Brahmi Inscriptions of the Scythian Period” E.I. Vo. X, (Calcutta,
G. Printing India, 1912): pp. 106-7, pl. II. 12 Edi. Pal Pratap Aditya, The Jain Art from India, (Los Angeles, County Museum of Art,
1996.) pp. 53.