Studies in Jaina Art

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

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STUDIES IN JAINA ART
the pața shows in the centre a highly defaced inscription and partly defaced eight auspicious symbols, out of which the water-jar, the lotus, the tri-ratna the śrivatsa, and the svastika can be recognised easily.
Taület IX. Set up by the wife of Bhadranandi. (Fig. 10) This tablet (J. 252, Lucknow Museum, Size 2-7" X 2'-31") set up by Acală (according to Bühler; Agota, according to Smith) may be compared with Tablet No. II set up by Sivaghoşaka discussed above. The theme of a central Jina, in the circle of the composite four tri-ratnas is common to both, The panel at the bottom showed all the eight auspicious symbols (the one on the right end being partly mutilated ). The pillar on each end of the Tablets is noteworthy. The inscription is carved in characters of the Kuşāņa period.
A few more fragments of such Āyāga pațas are preserved in the Curzon Museum, Mathurā, one of which (No. 1603 of the Museum ) shows a Stūpa in the central medallion. Another fragment (No. 2313 ), with an inscription on the reverse reading Siläpato Arahata-pu......, shows, on the observe, Asokafoliage which suggests that this was meant for the worship of the Caitya tree. 3 The expression "Silāpato" used for the Tablet (āyāgapața ) is noteworthy.
The above analysis has helped us to find out a chief characteristic of the worship of the Āyāga pațas. Just as each icon represents a particular deity, (e. g. one or the other of the twenty-four Jinas ), each Āyāga pața, too, represents one particular object venerated by the Jainas, namely, the stūpa, the dharma.cakra, the tri-ratna, the aştamangalas“ (one would also expect a Tablet
1 Smith, Jaina Stúpa, pl. XI, p. 18, Bühler. Ep. Ind. Vol. II, no. 32 p. 207. Agrawala, Guide to Lucknow Museum.
2 The inscription reads :I Namo Arahantānam ( mala )....nasa dhitu
Bhadrayaśasa vadhuye Bhadranadisa bhayāye 2 A(calā )ye ā( yā)gapato pratithūpito Arahatapujãye.
3 Agrawala, Catalogue of the Mathurā Museum, JUPHS. XXIII, p. 71, Fragments Nos. 569, 1603, 2313, 2563.
Another new fragment (No. 3496 ) is described by K. I). Bajpai, JUPHS., XXI, (1948) pls. 1-2, pp. 117 ff. Fig. 1. For an Ayāgapata from Kosam, discussed by Banerji, R. D, A.S.I., see, A.R., 1913-14, pp. 262 ff.; pl. LXX.
- In my paper on Varddhamana-Vidyā-Pața Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Arts, Vol. IX ( 1941 ), I suggested that Balipaţtas referred to by Hemacandra correspond to the earlier Āyāgapațas. Hemacandra, describing a Samavasarana writes: "The arches were adorned with flags and white umbrellas and eight auspicious symbols below, looked like those on offering slabs (Bali-pațțas ).” Trisasti, I. 3.42239.