Plate: Sculptures of Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil
By Unexhibited
Summary
The **Plate: Sculptures of Nagaraja Temple, Nagercoil** reproduces photographs that visually support the preceding article on the temple’s Jain origin. The first page shows a large coiled serpent erected before the inner shrine. The caption explains that this sculpture represents Dharanendra and Padmāvatī, the protective snake deities associated with the 23rd Tirthankara Pārśvanātha. The second page displays carved reliefs on the temple pillars: one photograph depicts a standing Tirthankara sheltered by a five‑hooded serpent, while another shows a Yakṣī (identified as Padmāvatī) seated under a three‑hooded snake. These images are clear evidence that the temple once housed Jain iconography; the serpent hoods and lion throne are stylistic markers of Pārśvanātha and Mahāvīra. The photographic plates also highlight the fine workmanship of the stone carvings and illustrate how Jain motifs were later assimilated into a Hindu context. The presence of such sculptures in a temple now dedicated to Nāgarāja underscores the syncretic history of the site. The images therefore serve as an important visual record corroborating the inscriptional and textual analysis presented in the accompanying article.
Conclusion
These photographic plates provide compelling visual confirmation of the Jain provenance of the Nagercoil serpent temple. The coiled serpent, the five‑hooded Tirthankara and the Yakṣī under a serpent canopy all correspond to Jain iconography associated with Pārśvanātha and Padmāvatī. By capturing these sculptures in situ, the plates complement the textual argument that the temple was originally a Jain shrine later appropriated by Hindus. They remind readers that art history and archaeology are essential partners to epigraphy in reconstructing religious history.