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great caution since the available texts of the faina canonical works are said to have been following the text of the second Council (vācanā) at Valabhi which met in the latter half of the fifth century A. D. There are a few references to worship of images and relics and shrines of the Arhats (Tirthankaras) by gods and men, and these may be at least as old as the Mathură Council (which met in the beginning of the fourth century A.D.) and even older,
But there are reasons to believe that attempts were made to worship an image (verily a portrait statue) of Mahāvira, even during his lifetime. This portrait statue of sandalwood was supposed to have been prepared, when Mahāvira was standing in meditation in his own palace, about a year prior to the final renunciation. So this statue showed a crown, some ornaments and a lower garment on the person of Mahavira. Being a life-time portrait statue, it was known as Jivantasvāmi-pratimā, that is, the 'image fashioned during the life-time of the Lord'. All later images of this iconographic type then came to be known as Jivantasyāmipratimā.
The original portrait statue was worshipped by the queen of Uddayana, king of Moruka, (in Sindhu-Sauvira land) and later by Pradyota of Ujjain. The image used to be taken out on a chariot (ratha-yātrā) on a certain day at Vidiśā, and during this ratha-yātrā, Samprati,, the grandson of Asoka, was converted to Jaina faith by Arya Suhasti. References to this image and the ratha-yātrā are found in texts like the Vasudevahindi, the Āvaśyaka-cūrņi, etc. Two old bronzes of Jivantasvāmi, one inscribed and datable to c. 550 A.D., were discovered in the Akotā hoard. The tradition of Jivantsavāmi images is therefore, fairly old and it is not impossible that one or more portraits of Mahavira were made during his life-time. But regular worship of images and shrines of Tirthankaras may be somewhat later, though not later than the age of the Lohānipur torso.
Nowhere is it said that Mabāvira visited a Jaina shrine or worshipped images of (earlier) Tirthankaras, like Parsvanātha or Rşabhanātha. Mahavira is always reported to have stayed in Yakşa-āyatanas, Yakşa-caityas like the Pūrņabhadra Caitya and so on.
The Jaina image, has for its model or prototype, the ancient Yakşa statues. It was also suggested that the mode of worship of the ancient Yakşa-Năga cult has largely influenced the worship in Jainism. The close similarity of the Jina (Tirthankara) and the Buddha image, and
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