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Vol. III, 1997-2002
Jina Pārsva and his Temples....
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Ksatriya family and Rsabha appointed them as guardian for the protection of people : the Vyākhyāprajñapti (para 383 and 682), the Sūtrakstänga (2.1.9), the Acārānga (2.11) the Āvaśyaka-cūrni (1. p. 154), the Kalpasūtra (para. 18). Gunabhadrācārya. (mid 9th cent.) refers to Pārśva as ugra-vaṁsāgranih (Uttarapurāna : 73 : 166]. It is, therefore, evident that Pārsva got the totem of cobra because of the traditional background of his family. (The northern āgamas
mention six royal dynasties, Ugra being one of them). 37.6. Dharanendra [Nāgendra, Phanipati, Nāgakumāra), and Kukkutoragasthā i.e.
Padmavati as attendants of Pārśva are depicted from the very beginning of their appearance in sculpture in Karnataka, taking its model from the Tiloyapannatti
(c. mid 6th cent.) of Yati Rsabha, chapt. 3. 37.7. An association of serpents with Bāhubali sculpture is to indicate deep
meditation; but it may suggest more than that. He is called unnata-Kukkuteśvara oft and on, because the Nāga-clan respected him as their master. Bahubali. comes from Kāsava (Kāśyapa) lineage, but the cobra-clan worshipped him as they worshipped Pārsva-jina. This is also one of the reasons for depicting them together at Badāmī, Aihole, Ellorā, and Hombūja. 'He (Gotama Svāmī) is also, with Pārsvanātha, frequently figured in their cave sculptures, both always as naked, with creeping plants growing over their limbs, and Pārsvanātha usually having a polycephalous snake (Dharana or Dharanendra, the Nāga king) over shadowing with its hood' (James, Furgusson, and James Burgess, The Cave Temples of India : (1880) sec. imp. 1988: p. 488]. Fergusson and Burgess had confounded Gommata svāmī with Gotama svāmi and have also confused the fact that both Gommata and Pārsva are having creeping plants growing over their limbs. But their explanation is correct as far as they noticed the sculptures of Bāhubali and Pārśva frequently figuring together; it must be said to their credit that they are the earliest to recognise this salient feature, indeed as early as 1880. A large number of temples and images of Jina-Pārsva clearly speak of the message and influence that reached every nook and corner of Karnataka. Artists, the architects as well as the sculptors knew the different modes of representing Pārśva in sculpture. The local artists chose one of the modes and adopted to their contemporary needs. This localisation has lent its contribution in enriching the variety and avoiding the reduplication as far as possible. Even when we look at the seven-hooded canopy, variations are conspicuously present. When I, out of sheer curiosity, worked out at the ratio and proportion of Jaina temples constructed to various Tirthamkaras based on the available data in Karnataka, in the distribution, not surprisingly, I found that 30 to 35 % of the total Jinagshas are dedicated to Pārśva. What does this popularity indicate ? It suggests that the circumstances favoured Arhat Pārsva's and Padmăvati's worship
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