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
precious stones and putting diamonds and other valuable jewels for eyes still continues with Jainas in Svetämbara tradition.
After looting the wealth, the invader ordered to destroy and burn the temples with naphtha and levelled them to the ground. One image with a sticky substance is found from the site. (fig. 50). The Jaina stúpa at Mathura was so huge that after it was desecrated, it still remained 30 feet high at the eastern corner. Afterwards, it was renovated, and some new shrines and images were established within five years, which Jinaprabha adored and described in Vividha-tirtha-kalp.
The book on Mathură city, Mathura: A district Memoir' by F. S. Growse and Oxen, first published in 1874 A.D. & then in 1880 A.D. describes the booty carried by him
"Among the spoil, are said to be five great idols of pure gold, with eyes of rubies and adornments of other precious stones, together with a vast number of smaller silver images, which, when broken up, formed a load for more than a hundred camels. The total value of the spoil has been estimated at three million rupees; while the number of Hindus carried away into captivity9l exceeded 5000. At that time, the city was plundered for twenty days".
Regarding the name of a Tīlā kańkālī, Growse writes that
"A fragment of a carved Buddhist (?) pillar (Here author doubted that it may be Jaina) is set up in a mean little shed on its summit doing. the duty of goddess kañkäli, by which the tila was known"92, Henrich Growse also talked, that occasionally the hill was called the Jainī tīla93. The book on Mathura by Growse, impressively contained all aspects including, the folk lore94 which means
"The cows of Gokul and the daughters of Mathura are best taken care, if they go out, means welcoming the bad luck."
When Growse first published the said book and also the revised edition after six years, Kankali-Tīlā was in the initial stage of excavation. He mentioned the engraved elephant pillar with the name of the reigning
91 Growse, Oxon- Mathura- a district Memoir.. pp-33.
92 Luders, Mathura inscriptions-pp-40.
93 Ibid
94 See the chapter 'Place of Mathura in Jainism' in this book.