________________
Society and Religions / 71
forms. For instance, if a person/power out of his/its personal hatred and in a state of anger and malice, indulge in causing any thing wrong to an innocent person, a Jina or an ascetic or a devout lay votary, deeply engrossed in meditation, the goddess Yakşi would voluntarily manifest in her terrible form, demonstrate the malefic aspect and dispense the evil.
Generally the Yakṣis manifest as the boon-conferring (anugraha-murti) and desire fulfilling (abhista-vara-pradāyini) deities, but never the Jinas/Tirthankaras. Thus, the Yakṣis became the favourite goddesses for the worshippers; very imposing and aesthetically chiselled and designed images of Yakṣis appeared. Architecturally also, there is scope for the sculptors for the imagination in the images of Yaksis, but particularly no scope for variety in the images of the Jinas. The Mandali rulers also caused Padmāvatidevi alias Lokkiyabbe temples. The Vayjamāņdalika and his queen consort Vayjaladevi of Āsandinād Gangas, saying that "this is our deity and the only light of our family, character and power', they worshipped goddess Padmāvatidevi, everyday; a son was born to them, whom they named as Barmmadeva, who succeeded the throne.
Bhujabala Ganga Permmādi Barmmadeva was a laic devotee of the deity Padmāvatidevi and in fulfilment of the obligation, he gave a permanent grant of five pana from the villages he ruled in the year C.E. 1060. There were temples exclusively built for Padmāvatidevi, as the main deity to be worshipped in the sanctum sanctorum. She figures prominently in the Mandalinād inscriptions in her boon granting divine form.
Padmavatidevi had the other names of Lokkiyabbe and Nokkiyabbe, meaning the 'VỊkşa-devatā', goddess of the plant Lokki or Nokki as variants. Some of the personal names of the Mandalināď important persons were after the name of this goddess; Lokkiyakka, wife of Mārasinganspa, is one such name. Even male persons who were devotees to this deity would prefer to be named after her; Nokkayya is one such name. Since the Yaksas are primarily sylvan deities, Padmāvatidevi's association with the shrub Lokki is not surprising.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
