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THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE SIXTEEN JAINA MAHAVIDYAS AS REPRESENTED IN THE CEILING OF THE SANTINĀTHA
TEMPLE AT KUMBHARIA, NORTH GUJARAT
Maruti Nandan Prasad Tlwarl The Sixteen Jaina Mahavidyasi forming a group of Tantric goddeases were accorded the most favoured position among both the Svetambara and Digambar Jaina sects. Almost all the iconographic works from c. eighth century onwards treat of the individual iconographic forms of the Sixteen Jalna Mahavidyās. Unlike the case in the Svetambara sect's vestiges in Rajasthan and Gujarat, wherein depiction of Mabavldyas invariably occurs, no sculpture or painting of the Digambara affiliation has so far been reported by scholars to depict them. At Khajurabo, however, on the mandovara of the Digambara Jaina temple of Ādinalba (eleventh century), a series of Sixteen Jaina goddesses was noticed by the author, which may be identified with a group of Sixteen Mabāvidyas (All the goddesses crowned by tiny Jina figures and possessing four to eight hands are sculptured either seated in lalitasana or standing in tribhanga. The goddesses carrying varying attributes are shown with respective conveyances. All the figures are badly damaged with very few attributes extant, rendering their proper identification very much difficult. However, yahanas have sucvlved with several of them. In respect of the surviving attributes and the vahanas the goddesses, in some cases, partially correspond to iconographic prescriptions for Mahavidhyas, enunciated in the Digambara texts. Under these circumstances, the possibility of this representation being a unique Digambara instance of collective rendering of the Sixteen Jaina Mahavidyas may no! denied).
The carliest known representations of the Svetambara Jaina Mahavidyas, as temple decorations, are found at the Mahāvira temple at Osia (Rajasthan), built by the Pratibāra Vatsarāja at the close of the eight century. (These Mahavidya figures almost fully correspond to the iconographic forms enjoined by the Catūrvinsatika (of Bappabhatu Sari 743-838) tho earliest known iconographic text dealing with the individual iconography of the Jaina Mabavidyās. However, Prajñapti, Naradata, Gandhary, Mabavala and Mādavi are not represented at the temple, while Rohiņi, Apraticakra, Vairotya and Mabamānasi enjoyed more favoured position).
The author is thankful to his friend Shri P.P.P. Sharma for going trough the manu. script. He is also thankful to the University Grant's Commissson for providing the monetary assistance in the form of both ways fare, which enabled him to visit the site in connection with his research work.
