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Jaina Iconography-A Brief Survey
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The different sects vied with one another in the race for multiplication of their respective pantheons and mystifying their rituals with complex details, Jainism, which has shown greater conservatism than other sects in preserving their ācāra-vidhi, was also obliged to introduce new deities (though, of course, subordinate to the Tirthankaras), or to compose Tantric works like the Jvālini -kalpa or the Bhairava-Padmā vatiKalpa. The Achāra-Dinakara of Vardhamana Suri is a product of this spirit, and was composed in 1468 V. S. (1411 A. D.) Th Nirvāṇakalikā composed by another Pā dalipta in C. 1000-1025 A. D., in the mediaeval period but ascribed to the earlier Padalipta-suri, and the Pratisthasarudhara of Asādhara were also composed under this influence.
It was in the beginning of this transitional age that the first. Yaksa-pair Kuberalike Yaksa whom I propose to address tentatively as Sarvānubhuti invoked in the PancaPrati-kramana, and two-armed Ambika made their first appearance as the attendant Yaksa pair par-excellence, common to all the Tirthaikaras. Early specimens of Ambika, hitherto known, came from the Meguti temple, Aihole, in the Dharwar district, 2 Mahudi on the Sabarmati, North Gujarat, 3 Dhānk in Saurashtra, 4 or on sculptures numbered B. 78 and B. 75 in the Mathura Museum,5 But these belonged to an age not earlier than the seventh century A. D. The discovery of the Akota hoard pushed back the introduction of Ambika Yaksi in Jainism to at least the sixth century A. D. as evidenced by a bronze of Ambika with an inscription assignable to C 550-600 A. D., and by the bronze of Rsabhanatha installed by Jinabhadra, 6 discussed above, both the bronzes belonging to the Akota hoard. The earliest descriptions of the twoarmed Ambika known hitherto, came from the Caturvimsatikā of Bappabhatti Suri? (c. 800-895 V. S.) and the Harivamsha8 of Jinasena (783 A. D.). Jinasena also refers to Apraticakra in the same verse in which Ambika is referred to. But since Apraticakrā is known as a Vidyadevi in ancient Jaina texts, it is not certain that in the age of
1. See sa** 17 with galeta F1, Vol. III P. 170 Also cf. U.P. Shah, 'A female Chaurie-Bearer
From Akota, Bulletin of the Prince of Wales Museum, no. 1. 2. Cousens, H., Chalukyan Architecture, PLIV. The sculpture is assignable to the seventh century
A. D. 3. Annual Report, Department of Archaeology, Baroda State 1939, pp. 6 ff, and plates. 4. H. D. Sankalia, Earliest Jain Sculpture in Kathtawar' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, London,
July 1939, pp. 426 ff. In an article in the Jain Satya Prakasa (Gujarat, Ahemedabad), Vol. IV. nos. 1-2, Dr. Sankalia tries to give them an early age, but the reliefs are certainly not eariler then
c. 7th century A. D. 5. Vogel's Catalogue of Sculptures in the Mathura Museum, A seventh century relief is also found at
Chitral in the old Travancore State (now Kerala), see, Buddha and Jaina Vestiges in the Travancore
Stute, Travancore Arehaeologicol Series. II. part 9, pp. 115 ff., pl. V. fig. 2. 5. Journal of Indian Museums, Vol. VIII. pp. 50 ff., fig. 6a. See U.P. Shah, Akota Bronzes, fig. 1). 7. Caturvimsatika, ed. by H.R. Kapadia, pl. 143, 162. 8. Harivamsa, (M.D. Granthamala, Bonibay) Vol. II, Sarga 66, v 44.
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