Maa Bhagavati Temple

The Bhagavati temple, located near the old residential palace is a modern shrine built of masonry works in the early part of the 20^th century CE. The presiding deity Bhagavati is no other than Jaina Sasanadevi Chakresvari (Pl.LXXXVA).

Chakresvari:

The sixteen armed Sasanadevi Chakresvari^[1] is carved seated in padmasana over a lotus pedestal supported by lions. Garuda, lanchana of the Sasanadevi is carved below the pedestal and flanked by devotees and yaksha Gomukha. Her attributes in the hands are sword, damaru, crescent moon, disc, conch, dagger, rosary and varada mudra in the right hands and damaru (?), shield, mace, disc, trident, noose, vajra and vessel in the left hands. She has a high bun at the top her head bejeweled with elongated puspa-kundalas at the ears, thin to thick necklaces at the neck, armlets, bangles, girdle and upavita etc. She has a decorated halo at the back of her head. The inner circle part of the halo is bordered with champaka flowers while the outer one bordered with beaded design. The upper part the slab is depicted with her Tirthankara i.e., an image of Risabhanatha in dhyanamudra flanked by chauri bearers, pairs of flying garland bearers, elephants, divine musicians, circular halo, kevala tree and the trilinear umbrella at the top of the Sasanadevi. On the basis of iconographic and stylistic representation it can be assigned to the circa 11^th century CE.

Besides, a series of Jaina Tirthankara images are also affixed to the small niches of the mandapa of the same temple and some of them are identified as Mahavira, Santinatha, Ajitanatha etc. (Pls.LXXXVB-LXXXVD).

Mahavira:

The Tirthankara is carved seated in dhyanamudra over a couch covered with loin cloth. A portion of the loin cloth is hanging towards front and carved with a tiny figure of lion (defaced) his usual lanchana. His Sasanadevi Sidhayika is found seated in dhyanamudra over a lotus pedestal holding a lotus in the right hand and varada mudra in the left hand. She is flanked by spirited lions and further by Yaksha Gomedha in the right and a devotee with folded hands at the left corner of the slab at the bottom. The Tirthankara is flanked by bejeweled chauri bearers, garland bearers, elephant etc. one above the other vertically on both sides. He has a circular halo decorated with lotus leaf and beaded design at the back of his head and surmounted by trilinear umbrella, kevala tree etc.

Santinatha:

The Tirthankara is carved standing in kayotsarga posture on a lotus pedestal below which his lanchana deer is shown in a diminutive size. The lanchana deer is flanked by Sasanadevi Mahamanasi in the left and Yaksha Garuda at the right.

The two armed Sasanadevi holds a lotus in the uplifted left hand while her right hand is in varada mudra. The attributes of the Yaksha is not distinct. Devotees are also seen at the end of the stone slab on both sides at the bottom. The Tirthankara is flanked by bedecked chauri bearers, makara-mukhas, pair of garland bearers, elephant motifs one above the other vertically on both sides. His twin circular halos at the back of his head while the inner one are decorated with lotus leaf and beaded design, the outer one is plain and completely devoid of any decorations. The halos are surmounted by trilinear umbrella flanked by branches of kevala tree.

Ajitanatha:

The Tirthankara is carved standing in kayotsarga posture over a pedestal below which his lanchana elephant is carved in a very small dimension. The pedestal below the Tirthankara is depicted in three offsets, the frontal one is carved with the seated four armed Sasanadevi Ajitabala flanked by vigorous lions. The Sasanadevi holds a noose in the upper right hand and a goad in the upper left hand while her attribute of lower two hands are not clearly distinct. The right offset is carved with a devotee sitting in folded hands while the left offset depicted with an image of two armed seated Ganesa which is rarely found in Odishan Jaina art. The Tirthankara Ajitanatha is flanked by bedecked chauri bearers on either side. A pair of Tirthankaras in meditative poses is shown on either side of the Tirthankara whose lanchanas are not distinct. Circular halo with lotus leaf and beaded boarder, trilinear umbrella, kevala tree, flying chauri bearers and elephant motifs are found in their respective positions on the Tirthankara image.

Tirthankara images:

It is a pair of standing Tirthankara images in kayotsarga posture on a common stone slab displaying oval haloes and trilinear umbrellas over heads. Their respective lanchans are not visible here.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

B.K. Rath, “An Unique image of Chakreswari”, OHRJ, Vol. XXXIII, No.1/4, pp.127-130.