Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal
by Shubha Majumder | 2017 | 147,217 words
This page relates ‘Images of Tirthankara Vimalanatha’ of the study on the Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal based on the fields of Geography, Archaeology, Art and Iconography. Jainism represents a way of life incorporating non-violence and approaches religion from humanitarian viewpoint. Ancient Bengal comprises modern West Bengal and the Republic of Bangladesh, Eastern India. Here, Jainism was allowed to flourish from the pre-Christian times up until the 10th century CE, along with Buddhism.
Images of Tīrthaṅkara Vimalanātha
According to the Jain liturgical treatises Vimalanātha is the thirteenth Tīrthaṅkara in Jain ideology and his lāñchana is boar. He was the son of king Kṛtavarmā and queen Śyāmā of the city of Kampilya (Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacarita, vol. IV: 3; Uttarapurāṇa Parva 59). According to the Uttarapurāṇa Parva 59, Indra called him Vimalavāhana.
He obtains kevalajñāna under a Jambu-tree and nirvāṇa on Mt.Sammeta. According to the Śvetāmbaras, Ṣaṇmukha and Viditā were his yakṣa and yakṣī respectively on the other hand Digambara tradition mentioned Ṣaṇmukha and Vairoṭī as his yakṣa and yakṣī (Bhattacharya 1974: 49; Shah 1987: 149).
A very small headless image of Tīrthaṅkara Vimalanātha was recovered from Kotra (Gajpur) excavation (Pl.XXVII.A). The image measures 25 x 20 x 5 cm and most probably this was fixed in the temple wall. The Jain stands in kāyotsarga posture on a plain pedestal and at the centre of this pedestal bear the lāñchana of the Jain i.e., a pig.