Jinamanjari 2000 09 No 22

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

Page 27

Some of the Mathura āyāgapațas include references to what seem to be 'aştamangalas' (figs. 1 and 2). Not all of the symbols can be clearly recognized, and it is also probable that at such an early date the lists of eight auspicious signs and the 'prātihāryas' connected with the Jinas had not yet been fully crystallized. In symbols related to the aştamangala group are shown in the upper and lower bands of the outer frame. Above at the left the two fish can be seen, holding between them a sort of garland. Next to them is a form which may refer either to a throne (bhadrāsana) or a mirror. Right of centre are the śrīvatsa, with a fish for its centre, and probably the 'powder box'. On the bottom row at the left is a strangely double-arched bound leafbunch, almost giving the impression of fish-tails holding up a lotus-wheel. The second form on the bottom row appears to be the centre of a full lotus flower, emphasizing its seeds. Next to it appears the stand, and finally, to the far right, a full-jar (kalasa), with rich leaves spilling from its mouth. Leafy śrīvatsas again fill the interior corners of the main square, and the outermost corners are decorated with what may be elaborate nandyāvarta.
Mathurā was said to have a Jaina stūpa 'built by the gods'.8 It would seem at this early period of both Jaina and Buddhist art of a more monumental and permanent in nature that there were often cross-influences and sharing of common sources and symbolism. The circular mountain-like form encircled by vedikā on various levels is similar in examples from the two religions. Even such details as toroņas, separate monumental columns holding dharmacakras or animals, and subsidiary figures such as graceful yakṣīs or directional guardian figures appear in both Buddhist and Jaina works. The central core of the Jaina stūpa from the Kankālī mound, Mathurā, shows in outline an eightspoked wheel, certainly indicating by way of 'hidden symbolism' the very essence of the spiritual cakravartin.
Although Buddhist and Jaina art had many similarities between the late 2nd c. B.C. E. and the 2nd c. C.E.., it is also important to refer to some differences. One such difference can be seen in the figure of the religious leader himself. The Jina figures are nearly always shown naked and in the attitude of meditation. The Buddhist figures, on the other hand, are always
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