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Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari
bearing of the iconography of the Hindu deity Kārttikeya on Prayar doubtless. Barring the representation of kulkuta, the figure tallies with the description of Prajāapti in the Nirvanakalikä, which enjoins the vara... bakti, a sakti and a fruit in her arms,20 (6) Acchupia - the 14th Vidyādevy. She betrays a sword, a śara (artis, a shield and a bow. The figures agrees with the description of the thing Nirvanahalika which prescribes a snake in place of a bow.91 However, a ne work--the lcaradinakara - envisages depiction of bow. 22 (1) Gauri - the 9th Vidyādevi She holds the varadakșa, a gada (mace may be musala even), a sanala-palma (long-stalked lotus) and a fruit. The figure, if the second attribute in this list is accepted as a musala, alia mpa fully corresponds to the details about Gauri in the Nirvanakalika w a prescribes the varada, a musala, a rosary and a lotus.23 (8) Gandhārı - the 10th Vidyadevi. She shows the varadākşa, a thunder bolt. A musala and a fruit. The figure agrees with the description ufalme Nirvanakalika except substituting the abhaya for fruit, 24 It may be me that in other instances at Kumbhāriā also Gāndbars carries a thunderbixwe and a pestle in two upper hands. (9) Vairofya - the 13th Vidyadevi. She holds a sword, a snake (uragd, * shield and a snake (looking like a purse). The figure is fully guided but injunction of the Nirvanakalika prescribing the same set of symbol fx Vairotyā.85 It may be poted that soake simulta teously associated with and and shield symbols has always remained the distinguishing emblent Vairotyā iu art and literature both. (10) Kall - the 7th Vidyadevi. She bears the varadakşa, a noose, a khat (the osseous shaft of the forearm capped by a skull) and a fruit. On acco? of the khafpanga symbol the most plausible ideatification of the precem goddess would be with Kalı. An influence of the Hindu goddess Cā mula2* -also another appellation of Kali, over this figure is here discernible. may be noted that the present figure does not correspond the least to any of the known Svetāmbara dhyanas which generally prescribe for ka a rosary, a mace, & vajra and the abhaya. Any parallel showing Kale with khatvānga is not known to the author. The fact that on olles Mahavidya in the series is associated with kha/yanga, an invariabte attu bute of the Hindu goddess Cāmundā or Kali, suggests a Hints influence on the present figure of Jaina Vidyadevi with the identical news Kalı Such trans sectarian influences are, however, not unknowo. We have already discussed in the previous pages how, violating the canonica in junctions, under the Hindu influence kukkuta was associated with out Mabavidyā Prajnapti. (The occurreace of khafvänga, fames of fire and human head fike fury symbols with the Jaina goddess at once suster
