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JAINISK * SOUTE INDIA
shall have pocasions to refer to them later. In regard to the identification of this sculpture I may suggest the following. As all these temples belong to the Digambara School, it is likely that these sculptures represent two earliest and most eminent teachers of the School. In order to determine which these could be, we shall examine the inscriptions at Sravaņa Belgoļa, the greatest repository of South Indian Jainism. In these epigraphs frequent mention is made of three teachers who figure as the early pioneers of the Jaina doctrine in the South. They are Kondakunda, Umāsvāti alias Gșidhrapiñchbâchārya and Samantabhadra.' This fact is confirmed by other sources also. It may be assumed that the pair of ascetics under consideration stands for the first two of these'. That is only a conjecture. The other sculpture is locally known as Jattinga. This image is set up in a corner of the verandah of the main temple, and a devotee is expected to pay his homage to the deity either at the commencement or termination of his circumambulation of the main shrine. Jaţținga, in common parlance, means 'a wrestler' or 'a hero'; but here, he represents a member of the Jaina pantheon and may be identified with Kshētrapāla or Bhairava.
Turning to other relics, a stone image of Vardhamāna was lying in a field near the village belonging to Kulkarņi Mārtandappa. The sculpture was fairly big in size and decently executed. Another stone image of approximately the same size was noticed on the boundary of the same field. The sculpture is believed to be Padmāvati, the famous Yakshiņi of Pārsvanātha Tīrthakara. But carefully examined, she is found to be Ambikā, the Yakshiņi of Nēminātha, for she bears two hands and is attended with a mango bunch and children, which are her characteristic attributes. At the top of the image was noticed the miniature figure of the Jina. A temple or shrine dedicated to this deity might have been in existence nearby. In another place was detected a slab containing the representation of two warriors with bow and arrow below, having the effigy of Jina at the top.
These and other relios discovered in this village may roughly be ascribed to the period of the twelfth century A. D. They establish the fact that this place must have been a flourishing seat of Jainism in the Mediaeval Epoch. This place finds its mention as Bamakura in the local records of the later days. Its earlier from Bhomukura is met with in an eleventh century inscription of the locality. The earlier and original name of the village thus apears to have been
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It is interesting to note that Samantabhadra is characterised by the epithet Vana visin probably denoting his association with Banavasi; Ind. Ant. Vol. XI, p. 247. This piece of soulpture needs to be distinguished from a Nishidhikalla or Nishidi memorial; for the two parallel figures olearly represent the monks or Acharyas at equal status and there is no indioation to trace the relationship of a teacher and a disciple or a devotee between them as is the onse in the latter soulpture
