Jinamanjari 1996 04 No 13

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 32

culmination among the fifteenth century Jain iconoclasts lead by Lonka Shah who labelled idol worship of any sort as being heresy.17 While images and minor deities still play an important part in most Jain communities, the threat they posed to Jainism has been resolved and the supremacy of the Jinas is no longer in question.
Therefore, after having summarized briefly this complex interaction between Jain practice and the popular traditions of India, it is possible to see how popular iconography could have become absorbed into Jainism. It was necessary to identify and describe the popular traditions lying outside of Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jain practice in order to explain how images found in the Indus culture's remains could have entered all three religions. The popular traditions served as a bridge connecting these religions to the past, and when these emerging religions tried to co-opt portions of the popular tradition in order to garner public support, it is natural that they would have chosen some of the most ancient and potent imagery available.
The Imagery of the Indus Culture
Among the earliest identifiable objects of Jain construction are the ayagapata stones from Kankali-Tila in Mathura. These decorated stone slabs were incorporated into the decoration of the early Jain caityas, and were included in the construction of Jain stupas. That these stones were intended for Jain structures and functions is attested to by the iconography, which at times includes the central image of a nude meditating figure, most likely representing a Jina; the presence of an inscription on one example stating that it was intended for the "offerings to arhants" further supports this conclusion. Interestingly, Bharatiya Jnanpith identifies these ayagapata stones as having been derived from the low stone
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