Jain sculpture

Jain sculptures or Jain idols are the images depicting Tirthankaras (teaching gods). These images are worshiped by the followers of Jainism. The sculpture can depict any of the twenty-four tirthankaras with images depicting Parshvanatha, Rishabhanatha, or Mahāvīra being more popular. Jain sculptures are an example of Jain art. There is a long history of construction of Jain sculptures. Early examples include Lohanipur Torsos which has been regarded to be from the Maurya period, and images from the Kushan period from Mathura.

Murti of Mahavira at his birthplace, Kshatriyakund (Śvetāmbara tradition), in Bihar

Iconography

Image depicting Suparshvanatha, the seventh tirthankara of present half cycle of time

The Jain idols are males depicted in both sitting and standing postures. The tīrthaṅkaras are represented either Padmasana (seated in yoga posture) or standing in the Kayotsarga posture. Parshvanatha statues are usually depicted with a snake crown on head, Bahubali statues are usually depicted covered with creepers. However, there are a few differences in Digambara and Śvetāmbara depiction of idols. Digambara images are naked without any beautification whereas Śvetāmbara ones are clothed and decorated with temporary ornaments.

Jivantasvami

Main article: Jivantasvami

The Jivantasvami images represent Lord Mahavira (and in some cases other Tirthankaras) as a prince, with a crown and ornaments. The Jina is represented as standing in the kayotsarga pose.

Jivantasvami image of a Tirthankara carved on Torana in Mahavira Jain temple, Osian

Examples

Giant rock-cut statues of Jain Tirthankaras are carved in the Gopachal Hill, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

Charans are footprints exclusive to Jain temples. The charan of Tirthankara Rishabhanatha are present at the Badrinath Temple.

Akota Bronzes and Vasantgarh hoard of Gujarat; Hansi hoard of Haryana, Chausa hoard and Aluara bronzes from Bihar.

In Tamil Nadu

Sculpture depicting Tirthankara Parshvanatha, Thirakoil, Tamil Nadu

Jainism spread here and there all over Tamil Nadu during Sangam Age. One of the Tamil literature, called Paripadal (பரிபாடல்), probably belongs to 3rd century, mentions that there were propelling statues sculptured in stone for different deities in the temple of God Murugan in Thirupparankundram. One among them was Jain statue. Others are Kaaman-Rathi (the deities of Love), Deity Indra (the king of so-called Heavenly people according to Indian mythology), Agaligai (wife of Saint Gaudham), and Buddha.

Kalugumalai Jain Beds near Madurai belongs to one century latter is to be compared with Thirpparankunram Jain sculpture. In addition a propelling stone statue of a Jain monk mentioned in Tamil literature is also present. Cave inscriptions in Brahmi script of Chera kings in Pugalur probably one century earlier to that of the literature we have taken to our consideration, names some of the Jain Monks vs Yatrur Senkayapan, Pittan, Kotran. Pittan and Kotran are the chieftains of Tamil Nadu also mentioned in Tamil literature more or less to the same period.

In museums

Lohanipur torso found in a central Division of Patna, ancient Pataliputra, dates back to 3rd century BCE. Some of the oldest Jain sculptures excaved at Kankali Tila are in the Government Museum, Mathura. Many Jain sculptures are kept in Government Museum, Chennai.

The oldest Jain sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is of the Siddha Bahubali.

Jain vs Buddhist iconography

A Buddhist image can be in one of several mudras. However the Jain tirthankara images can only be in one of the two format. In Padmasana, the statues of a Jina and a Buddha can be similar. The Buddha statue has folds of the cloth on the upperbody, with cloth behind the left arm, where as the Jina statue is without clothes, unless it is a Shwetambara image which shows "kandora" folds.

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  Toluvila statue Buddha from Anuradhapura, 5th Century CE, Colombo
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  Lord Neminatha (Akota Bronzes 7th century)
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  Rishabhanatha 5th Century CE, from Kankali Tila

Chronological Gallery: Kayotsarga Statues

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  Tirthankara Neminatha Sculpture, National Museum, New Delhi, 11th Century
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  108 feet (33 m) statue of Tirthankara Rishabhnatha at Palitana
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  Four Fold Jain Image 1st Century Kankali Tila Mathura
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  Idol of Bahubali at Shree Pragat Prabhavi Parshwanatha Jinalaya,Dabhoi,Gujarat
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  Rishabhanatha, Mathura Museum, 6th century
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  Converted image of Parshvanatha
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  Suparsvanatha, Norton Simon Museum, c. 900 CE

Chronological Gallery: Padmasana Statues

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  Rishabhanatha, Parshvanatha, Neminatha, and Mahavira, LACMA, Uttar Pradesh, circa 600
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  Parshvanatha, Art Institute of Chicago, 6th century
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  Image of Bade Baba (Rishabhanatha) at Kundalpur
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  Parshvanatha, 600-700
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  Neminatha, 7th C, Akota Bronzes
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  Rishabhanatha, 800-900
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  Jain tirthankara, Cleveland Museum of Art, 10th century

Deities Gallery

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  Naigamesha, Mathura Museum, 1st-3rd century CE
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  Jain Family Group, 6th century
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  Ambika, 6th century
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  Gomukha, c. 8th century
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  Padmavati, 10th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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  Yaksha Sarvahna, c. 900, Norton Simon Museum

Colossal statues

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  17.4 m (57 ft) Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola, 10th century
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  The 16 m (52 ft) statue of Neminath at Tirumalai, the tallest Jain sculpture in Tamil Nadu
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  Rishabhanatha statue at Gopachal Hill, Gwalior Fort, 58.4 feet (17.8 m)
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  Rock cut Tirthankara statues at Gopachal Hill, Gwalior
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  Shantinatha Statue at 9.8 m (32 ft) Shantinath Jinalaya, Shri Mahavirji
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  31 ft statue of Lord Vasupujya at Champapur, Bhagalpur
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  Munisuvrata statue at 8.23 m (27.0 ft) Shantinath Jain Teerth

See also

• Lohanipur torso
• Akota Bronzes
• Chausa hoard
• Thirakoil
• Jain architecture
• Jain temple

References

• Pereira, José (1977), Monolithic Jinas, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 0-8426-1027-8
• Cort, John E. (2010) [1953], Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-538502-1
• Zimmer, Heinrich (1953), Joseph Campbell (ed.), Philosophies of India, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd, ISBN 978-81-208-0739-6
• Olivelle, Patrick (2006). Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE. Oxford University Press. p. 399. ISBN 9780199775071.
• Das, Kalyani (1980), Early Inscriptions of Mathurā
• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1995), Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects in Honour of Dr. U.P. Shah, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 9788170173168
• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1987), Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana: Jaina iconography, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 978-81-7017-208-6

External links

• Guy, John. “Jain Sculpture.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. online (January 2012)