Studies in Jaina Art

Author(s): Umakant P Shah
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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STUDIES IN JAINA ART
aştamangalas etc. In front of each mahendradhvaja was a Nandā-puskarini, an artificial reservoir or tank.
In the centre of the Siddhāyatana, was a big maņipīthikā, two yojanas in length and breadth and one yojana in height, on which was a big Devacchandaka (two yojanas in length and breadth and a little more than two yojanas in height ), all made of jewels. In this Devacchandaka were installed 108 life-size images of Tirthånkaras. On top of the Siddhāyatana were aştamangalas, flags etc.
It seems that the Devacchandaka was a sort of miniature slırine with pil. lars and arches in fornt. It may be a row of miniature shrines or ornamental niches, each with an image of one Jina.
The above account from Jivājivābhigama sūtra, 3.2. 137 ff., includes all types of Jaina worship practised in ancient times, except māņavakastambhas etc. which will be described later. The Caityastūpas, Caityavškşas and the Mahendradhvajas described here do not form part of the main structure of the Siddhāyatana. It seems that the Jaina temple (of the age of composition of this passage ) consisted of a sanctum, an adjacent hall (or rather a portico only) and a prekşāmaņdapa. This last mentioned hall was possibly a little separated from the main structure though the Jaina texts do not explicitly say so. The plan of the shrine woold suggest that the passage dates from the Gupta Age. Though the plan of the shrine can be assigned to this age, it must be remembered that the general description of decorative motifs, pillars etc., is of a much earlier tradition reaching back to at least the Kuşāna age and sometimes to the age of the Bhārhut and Sānchi stūpas.
This is further suggested by the descriptions of Caitya-stūpas, Caityavškşas etc. as apart from the main shrine thus showing that there were such separate cult objects, analogous to such reliefs from Bhārhut, cf. HII A., figures 55, 70, 41 (Bodhi-tree), 45 (Dharma-cakra shrine), 42 (Caitya-stûpa ), also from Amaravati, illustrated in HITA., figures 142 and 144-146.
The Jaina account of the origin of Stūpas and Caityas must be referred to. Both the Svetâmbaras and the Digambaras believe that the first person to erect on this earth the temples of the 24 Jinas of this age was Bharata Cakravartin, the son of the first Tirthankara Rşabhanātha. Referring to the Nirvāņa of Rşabha, the Avaśyaka Niryukti says:
निव्वाणं चिइगाई जिणस्स इक्खाग सेसयाणं च ।
FETT HUET 1997 a FIATT gathā 435. 1 Satapatha Brahmana, SBE. XLIV, pp. 424-29. Also see, Shah Priya. bālā, Aidūka, Joun, of the Oriental Institute, I. 3., pp. 278 ff.
% cf, Vasubindu-Pratisthāpātha, V. 17, p. 6.