Jain Aṣṭāpadatīrtha Sculptures

Aṣṭāpadatīrtha is one of the unique varieties of Jain sculpture ever found from West Bengal. This type of specimen from Sat Deuliya has been identified as an early representation of aṣṭāpadatīrtha by P.C Dasgupta (Dasgupta 1973: 130-2). In this context it is worthwhile to mention that U.P Shah in his works on Jain iconography postulated the incidence behind the creation of such sculptures. Accorading to him after the Nirvāṇa of Ṛṣabhanātha, the first Jina, on Mt Kailash, his son Cakravarti Bharata erected on this mountain a shrine called Simhaniṣadyā āyatana and installed therein images of 24 Jinas of this age…….Hemacandra ācārya tells us that Bharata also installed statues of his ninety nine brothers who had also obtained Nirvāṇa on this mountain along with Ṛṣabhanātha. He also raised a statue of himself listening attentively like a faithful devotee. In order to save these from future damage at the hands of mortals, he placed mechanical iron guardsmen and cutting off the projections of the mountain, he made it steep and straight and impossible for men to climb. He then made eight steps around it in the form of terraces…..From that time the mountain was called aṣṭāpada (Shah 1987: 20-1). On the basis of the above theorization an interpretation can apparently be made that the concerned specimen comprises the aforementioned figures of 24 Jinas along with the figurine of Bharata and his 99 brothers. It is also assumed that the first Jain shrine being as eightterraced monument like eight terraced Ziggurat or eight-traced stūpa (Shah 1955: 128).

1. The black basalt specimen of aṣṭāpadatīrtha from Sat Deuliya is curvilinear at the top being 43 cm in height and 23 cm in breadth (Pl.XL.A). It depicts the first Tīrthaṅkara Ṛṣabhanātha on the crest of the slab as being seated and meditating in padmāsana between two attendants holding fly-whisk. Below the Tīrthaṅkara is shown his lañchana the bull. Above him is delineated a three-tiered parasol and the hands of, vīdyadhara playing drums. Ṛṣabhanātha is seated above seven horizontal–terraces or ledges with rows of Tīrthaṅkaras standing in kāyotsarga pose. In this stela 148 miniature Tīrthaṅkaras have been carved in seven terraces. The number of Tirthankaras in each register varies. The figure of Ṛṣabhanātha who is divested of all worldly attire is 6.4 cms in height while the other Tīrthaṅkaras reveal a varying height from 3 cms to 4.1 cms. On the bottom of the lowest register of the back-slab is carved out a kneeling devotee. The representation of the devotee is very small and has achieved a linear quality (Dasgupta 1973: ibid.).

2. A Jain aṣṭāpadatīrtha was reported from Pakbirra, Purulia which was broken at the top right corner and still worshipped by the local villagers (Pl.XL.B). Howevre, it was mentioned as stele carved with a seated Ṛṣabhanātha and sixteen rows of Jinas in kāyotsarga and described that is “on a reconstruction it was found to contain 360 miniature figures of Jinas in kāyotsarga disposed in sixteen terraces, besides a seated figure of Ṛṣabhanātha. The figure of Ṛṣabhanātha is place on the top of the stele along the breadth of the first and second ledges. He is depicted as being seated in padmāsana and attended by cāmaradharas. Below his lotus seat is shown his lāñchana, the bull, placed between two crouching lions. Vīdyadhara figure carved in conventional cloud forms can be seen above his head. Each of the sixteen terraces is bordered by a band in relief. The number of Tīrthaṅkaras in each register as well as their dimension varies. On the lowest register at each corner is a figure of a kneeling devotee in añjali-mudrā” (Bhattacharyya, Mitra & Bhowmick 1986: 149-50).

3. Another sculptural specimen known as aṣṭāpadatīrtha is presently in the collection of the Sub Divisional Office of Khatra, Bankura (Chattopadhyay, Acharya & Majumder 2010:87). This is carved on a rectangular stele of chlorite stone. In the present situation, it is found to contain 123/ 124 miniature figures of Jain Tīrthaṅkaras in kāyotsarga posture arranged in eight terraces and one pedestal, besides a seated central figurine of Ṛṣabhanātha. The figure of the principal deity is placed on the top of the stele along the breadth of the first and second ledges. Here he is shown seated in dhyanāsana posture on a full blown lotus pedestal and is adorned by a jaṭājūṭa. Due to the effects of weathering it is difficult to locate the lāñcana of the image if it is at all present. The pedestal i.e., the ninth register of the specimen is carved with the figurines of kneeling devotees in añjali mudrā on the either side of the six standing Jinas.

The numbers of Jinas as reconstructed from present situation on each ledge from the top are following:

No of ledge	No of Tīrthaṅakaras
1	8
2	12
3	16
4	16
5	16
6	18
7	16
8	16
9th ledge/ pedestal	15 + 1?

4. The chlorite stone stele of Sirgi, Purulia (aṣṭāpadatīrtha) is curvilinear at the top being 55 cm in height and 25 cm in breadth (Majumder 2016: 239). The paṭṭa contains 108 miniature figures of Jain Tīrthaṅkaras in kāyotsarga posture arranged in seven terraces, besides a seated central figurine of Ṛṣabhanātha (Pl.XL.C). The figure of the principal deity is placed just below the first row of miniature Tīrthaṅkaras of the paṭṭa along the breadth of the second and third ledges. Here the weathered figure of Ṛṣabhanātha is shown seated in dhyanāsana posture on a full blown lotus pedestal and is adorned by a jaṭājūṭa. Below his lotus seat is shown his lañchana, the bull. Each of the seven terraces is bordered by a band in relief. The number of Tīrthaṅkaras in each register as well as their dimension varies. The lowest register of this patta is beneath the soil; as a result of this it is very difficult to study the pedestal portion of this paṭṭa properly.

The details numbers of Tīrthaṅkaras in each terraces is given below:

No. of ledge	No. of Tīrthaṅakaras
1	12
2	12 (6+6)
3	12 (6+6)
4	18
5	18
6	18
7	18

This aṣṭāpadatīrtha is very much similar with the Khatra as well as Pakbirra specimens.

5. Similar types of Jain aṣṭāpadatīrtha image have been reported from the Dakakendu, village of Purulia (Pl.XL.D). The top postion of this image is broken and remaining portion image measures 66 x 40 x 5 cm. The paṭṭa contains approximately 120 miniature figures of Jain Tīrthaṅkaras in kāyotsarga posture arranged in eight terraces. The lowest register of this patta is beneath the soil; as a result of this it is very difficult to study the pedestal portion of this paṭṭa properly. The broken part of this image is alos noticed close to this find spot.

6. In the center of the Badra village of Purulia a modern Siva temple is situated and in the left side of the temple Jain aṣṭāpadatīrtha image is fixed on a wall (Majumder 2014: 8-9). This is carved on a rectangular stele of chlorite stone and measured 95 cm x 56 cm. The image is highly abraded and regularly local people worship this image and they use oil and sindur. As a result one of the finest specimens of Jain antiquity is gradually losing its importance. In the present situation, it is found to contain 360 miniature figures of Jain Tīrthaṅkaras in kāyotsarga posture arranged in twenty four terraces, besides a seated figure of Ṛṣabhanātha. The figure of the Jain Tīrthṅnkara Ṛṣabhanātha is placed on the center of this stele in dhyanāsana posture. Below his lotus seat is shown his lāñchana, the bull, placed between two crouching lions. The present paṭṭa possesses enough resemblances to two other specimens one collected from Sat Deuliya in the Burdwan district (with 148 Jina figurines) and another from Pakbirra in the district of Purulia (with 360 Jina figurines).

7. During my recent visit at Punchra village of Burdwan district I have been documented three different damaged specimens of Jain aṣṭāpadatīrtha images from two different localities. The first on was noticed at Manasatala (Pl.XL.E), cult spot for the goddess Manasa. Besides this image, three other Jain sculptural specimens are plastered on the same slab. The broken part of a Jain paṭṭa measures 23cm x 26cm x 8 cm. The image is highly abraded and regularly local people worship this image and they use oil and sindur. As a result one of the finest specimens of Jain antiquity is gradually losing its importance. In the present situation, it is found to contain 36 miniature figures of Jain Tīrthaṅkaras in kāyotsarga posture arranged in seven terraces, besides a seated figure of Ṛṣabhanātha. The figure of the Jain Tīrthaṅkara Ṛṣabhanātha is placed on the top of this stele. He is shown seated in dhyanāsana posture on a lotus pedestal and is adorned by a jaṭāmukuṭa.

8. Another one is presently kept at Bhagavan Mahavira Digambara Jain Sarak High School of Punchra.The Jain aṣṭāpadatīrtha (26 cm x 28cm x 4 cm) image is iconographically similar with the earlier aṣṭāpadatīrtha image documented from Manasatala localities.

A broken part of Jain aṣṭāpadatīrtha (20 cm x 25cm x 6 cm) image was noticed from the Bhagalpur village of Bankura (Pl.XL.F). This image is highly abraded and lost its iconographic details.