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Their Rites, Cults and Religious Festivals : 165
black colours. One may also see bearers of fans (cāmaradhara) and guardians or servants (yaksa and (yaksi) by their side. For the Digambara, these servants are always males. Behind the statue one can often see the special tree, "kevala vrksa”, under with the Tīrthankara has attained omniscience.
When there is no temple near they live, Jains place a statue of the Tirthankara they prefer at home, if they practice this kind of cult. Every day, they view him, wash him, praise him, and sometimes swing a lamp in front of him in performing the "ārati". The Svetāmbara make offerings of flowers, sweets and so on. Hereby, they strengthen their faith in their religion. Sometimes, they place also at home an image of the deity they want to receive favours from, for example goddess Laksmi or Sarasvati. Often, they also have a "mandala" or a "yantra” at home to do their meditations, like the ascetics, when they have reached the step of high spiritual progress.
The Jain cult regarding statues must not be considered as fetishism or idolatry. It is the same practice as in other religions that also represent their God and saints in that way. These statues and images represent human beings that Jains consider to have obtained liberation and thereby merit to be honoured, revered and worshiped. The ablutions and offerings the Jains make to them do not aim to render them propitious. These gestures have only a symbolic meaning about what we will speak later. The Tirthankara are, for the Jains, in the "Siddha loka" where they have absolutely nothing to do with our world. They are totally cut from our problems. Concerning celestial beings, Jains also represent them in the form of statues or images to whom they address prayers. They have a more magic than religious character and their number remains limited compared to Hinduism.
One should recall that not all Jains follow the cult of statues and that those who practice it do not worship them as idols but express this way their respect to those they represent.
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