Mahavira and his Teaching

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

Page 389

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KLAUS BRUHN
plus drum in the case of Pārsva. By contrast, the double-leaf has been transferred without hesitation from the Jina to the Rsi.
The two remaining images (Figs. 6 and 7) belong to Deogarh. The context of the panel in Fig 6 is clear from Fig. 4 showing the entire outer door-frame. The intermediate Fig. 5 shows the temple (Deogarh Temple No. 18) with two pillars mānastambhas in front of it. Some information on the temple was given in the Deogarha monograph (pp. 40-41, pp. 43 foll., P. C. MUKHERJI's plan in Fig. 1). Very little can be said about the small panel, except that it answers to the basic list of characteristics given above. The akşamālā is missing, but this may be due to the small size which sometimes involves iconographic simplification. (Probably the strands of medieval miniature-Jinas have also to be explained by technical factors, the incision of parallel lines being easier than the rendering of minute curls; Deogarha $ 298 A.) The head of the Rşi is crowned with a *mukuţa.
During the time of my visits, the image of Fig. 7 lay amongst numerous debris near the eastern gateway of the *rampart. The piece is badly mutilated and both hand-attributes of the Rsi have disappeared. The crossed legs and the character of the entire image nevertheless leave no doubt as to the connection of the figure with the Rșis of Figs. 1 and 6. Note the miniatureJina at the top of the image a motif which is reminiscent of the tritírthikā on the Golakot image. The hovering figures, serving as it were as attendant figures of Pārśva, are unusual. The image belongs to the medieval period, but it is not possible to narrow down its date.
III. Parallels?
As observed already, the term "Rşi” is not very appropriate in the case of our figure. But it is justifiable in so far as the "Rşi” belongs to the wide range of figures commonly identified as "rsi” and well-known inter alia from early Varāha-images. The Planets or Grahas (here used in the sense of all Grahas except