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Seminar on Jainism
iconographic motif, however, seems to have been responsible for inspiring a rare type of Indian temple, a type that may be found to have significant reverberations in South us Asia. A foui -faced image, usually known as charurmuh har (chaumukha) has been a very popular Jain iconographic thetic from fairly easly times.” Prof. Saraswati went on to maintain “ Indian literature on art frequently refers to a type of temple called 'sarvatobhadra'. There are variations in th: descriptions of the type in the different texts All the texts, however, are agreed that the fundamental design of a sarraiobhadra temple is that of a square shrine with four entrances i'r the four cardinal directions A four entrances in the four entranced sarvatobhadra temple admirably suits the needs of a four-faced Jain image, pratimā sarvatohhadrikā, and it is not without significance that the term sariatobhadra has been used as a qualifying designation in each case. The iconographic theme and the architectural design seem to go together, one being complementary to the other, Dr. Saras. wati proved that the number of Jaio sarvatubhadrikā images of the early centuri:s of the Christian era is not small From Eastern India have been discovered also a fairly substantial number of such images of the early mediaeval epoch. Elaborating this point further, the great scholar said:
It will be useful to mention in this context a few early temples of Burma consecrated for Buddhist usage They repeat not only the iconographic motif of sarvatobhadrika images but also the architecture-design of sarvatobhadra temples in a clear and explicit manner. In such shrines the icorographic motif in each case occupies the position of the alter, The earliest of these temples seems to have been the Lemeythna at Hmawza (Thayetkhettaya-old kshetra ). The exact date of this structure is not known'. Prof. Saraswati continued : In the Nat Hlaung Kyaung temple at Pagan in Burma, consecrated to the worship of Vishnu, the Jain motif is seem to have been followed, and in this context it may be useful to enquire - whether the scheme finds ex.
