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JAIN, JOURNAL
Ancient Caubisi of Bhagavan Adinatha
The Caubisi' has a great religious importance in the Jaina pantheon. Generally, Bhagavan Adinatha or Rsabhanatha act as the mulanayaka (chief deity) in such iconic representations. The remaining twentythree. Jinas encircle him either in the khadgasana or in padmasana mudra. Rarely, a caubisi of Bhagavan Parsvanatha also met with. Actually the main purpose behind carving out such caubisi images lies in the fact to recognise Bhagavan Adinatha as cheif of the Jaina cult. It also simplifies the purpose of worshipping all the twentyfour Jinas at one place.
The town of Bhagalpur (ancient Campapur) is wellknown to the Jaina community. The gaubisi of Bhagavan Adinatha under study is enshrined in the Sri Campapur Digambar Jain Siddhaksetra, Nathnagar. It was discovered alongwith several other ancient icons from a dried tank near Campanagar in the year 1914 A.D. It is carved out into black basalt. It measures 61 x 30.05 centemeters. It is quite in tact. (fig. 2) Bhagavan Adinatha is seated upon a double petalled lotus pedestal in padmasana mudra. He is in deep meditation. His curly hair and uspisa over it are similar to the image of Lord Buddha. Two Vidyadharas holding long garlands in their hands are flying over the Jina's head. The trilinear (trichatra) umbrella emerging behind his head is attractive. His Sasandevi Cakresvari and Yaksa Gomukha (in human form) are seen near him. All the remaining twentythree Tirthankaras are seated in padmāsana mudrā around the mulanayaka Bhagavan Adinatha. Two worshippers are seen near him. His lanchana, the bull is carved out below the lotus pedestal. An elephant, however, is carved out on the otherside of the bull. In between the bull and the elephant a female deity has been carved out in the place of usual cakra (wheel of law). She is holding a baby in her lap and seated in ardhaparyankasana. Her vrttabandhajatajūta is attractive. She may be identified as goddess Ambika, the Sasanadevi of, Bhagavan Neminatha, the 22nd Jaina Tirthankara.
The depiction of goddess Ambika with the image of Bhagavan Adinatha is rare from the iconographic point of view. We have only similar example at the Archaeological Museum, Raipur, M.P. Here the figure
Joshi, N.P., Pracin Bharatiya Murtivijnan, Patna, 1977, p. 214. Roychoudhury, P. C., Bihar District Gazetteer, Bhaglpur, Patna, 1962. Sinha, Ajoy Kumar, Juna Shrines in Bhagalpur, Bhagalpur, 1983. Patil, D. R., The Antiquarian Remains in Bihar, Patna, 1963, p. 78. Shrama, B. N, Jain Pratimayen, New Delhi, 1979, p. 78.
