Studies in Jaina Art

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

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STUDIES IN JAINA ART
I. 59.1-2, IV. 13.5, X, 5.6. V. 29.4.)". 1 This worship of Agni as skambha (or a sthünā) should, according to Dr. Coomaraswamy, be regarded as the origin of later practice of erecting pillars dedicated to different deities and surmounted by their vahanas (or dhvajas ) or symbols like the Dharma-Cakra.
But what is this skambha originally? Is it Agni flaming high up and reaching the skies or an adoption and transformation by Vedic Aryans of the phallus worship, the phallus being originally simply understood as the creator and later also as supporter of the Universe ? Dr. Coomaraswamy writes: The axis of the Universe is coincident also with the fiery Siva-lingam set up, according to the Devadāruvana legend, in the foundations of the Earth and Extending upwards to Heaven's, "2
To revert to stūpa-worship in Jainism: A stūpa of the Jina Munisuvrata existed at Vesālā (Vaisāli ) according to the Avaśyaka Cūrņi, which gives the story of the Thubha' in illustrations of Pāriņāmiki Buddhi. The Āvaśyaka Niryukti merely gives the catch word 'Thubha' which shows that the author of the Niryukti knew of the stúpa of Munisuvrata at Vaiśāli. 3
The pedestal of a Jina image referring to Arhat Nandyavarta, obtained from Kankāli Țilā was installed in the Devanirmita Stūpa according to the inscription on it dated in year 49 or 79. According to Jinaprabha sūri, there was a Stūpa of Supärsvanātha at Mathurā, made of gold and jewels, erected by a goddess (devanirmita) in one night ; during a controversy with other sects regarding its ownership, the goddess Kuberā is said to have guarded it and helped the Jainas. Later a king of Mathurā wanted to take away the gold, whereupon, the goddess became angry and wrought earthquakes and was pacified only when all the inhabitants of Mathurà agreed to carve a figure of a Jina on their door-lintels. Once Pārsvanātha came to Mathurā and preached the doctrine. After his departure, the goddess told the inhabitants and the King that bad times were approaching and that she would not live to protect the stūpa for ever in its uncovered condition. The priceless stūpa should therefore
1 Elements of Buddhist Iconography, pp. 10 f.
2 Elements of Buddhist Iconography, p. 66. He also refers to F. D. K. Bosch, " Het Linga-Heiligdom van Dinaja, " Tijdschr, K. Bat. Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschapen, LXIV, 1924. Compare the conception of Jyotirlingas. One such linga with flames exists in the Bhārat-kalā-Bhavan, Banaras.
3 Avaśyaka Niryukti, vv. 949-51, Haribhadra's Vytli, p. 437; Āvaśyaka Cūrni, p. 567.
Epigraphia Indica, Vol. II., Jaina Inscriptions from Mathurā inscr. no. 20.
5 Viividha-Tirtha-Kalpa (Simghi Series ), pp. 17-18.