Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

Page 387

376
KLAUS BRUHN
is broken, but the extant portion shows no deviation from the Pārśva figure. Whether the curls are an essential feature of the Rși cannot be decided on the basis of our limited material.... (ii) The lotus appearing in the *parikara-top of the Rși-composition (immediately above the garland held by the two celestial couples) serves as *central object. Lotuses as central objects are common, but they follow more than one *formula. A parallel to our formula is supplied by two rock-cut images (showing Brahmā and Siva respectively) at Rakhetra-Gadhelna, about a day's journey from Golakot (Deogarha Fig. 390: Map of Madhya Desa). The Sivaimage has been published by CALEMBUS SIVARĀMAMURTI in Ancient Indra No. 6 (1950) on Pl. 25 C. ... (iii) *Garland-bearing couples—one to the left and one to the right, each holding a garlandare common in Jaina iconography and elsewhere. There are, however, also cases where a single garland is held by the two couples. One example is furnished by the present image, another by a Jina-image at Deograh (Deogarh Fig. 204). . . . (iv) On the Rşi's chest the *śrīvatsa-mark is shown. Representation of Jaina gods (i.e. of male deities) are not very common, and it is therefore not possible to say whether the srivatsa-mark was prescribed for them. On the raised hand of the Rsi a palmmark (stylized lotus-flower) is visible. See Deogarh $ 209 (palmlotus in Jina iconography). . . . (v) For a highly artistic image of the medieval period it is unusual to have a plain *pedestal. In the present case, it is not difficult to see why this is so. For the artist apparently did not know which motif would suit the Rsi; the iconographic programme for the Rși was incomplete. ... (vi) Pārsva has *lateral strands. Originally, only Rsabha (the first Jina) was shown with *strands, whereas the other twenty-three Jinas had curls (and only curls)--at least we do not possess counter-evidence for the early periods. Later on the situation changed (Deogarh $265). Leaving aside the—*earlymedieval period, we can say that in the *medieval period strands (i.e. *lateral strands) are quite common in the case of images clearly showing other Jinas than Rsabha. This includes Pārsva-images (distinguished from Rsabha-images by virtue of the hood-circle in a very conspicuous manner), and our image is