A Note on an Image of Rama and Sita on the Parsvanatha Temple, Khajuraho

Summary

Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari’s note examines an exquisite relief depicting Rama, Sita and Hanuman on the northern facade of the Parsvanatha temple at Khajuraho, dated 954 A.D. He describes the iconography in detail: Rama is shown standing in tribhaṅga-mudrā on a bracket with four arms. His upper right hand holds a long arrow diagonally downward, his lower right arm rests protectively on Hanuman’s head in pālita-mudrā and his upper left arm embraces Sita in āliṅgana-mudrā. A quiver is slung behind his right shoulder. Rama wears an ornate kirīṭa-mukuṭa, multiple necklaces of square and beaded pendants, armlets, bracelets, a jewelled girdle with cascading chains, a long garland and a short dhoti. Sita stands gracefully to Rama’s left, her right arm resting on his shoulder and her left hand holding a lotus (nīlotpala). She wears an elaborate coiffure, earrings, layered necklaces, a beaded girdle and a sari extending to her ankles. Hanuman is depicted with a monkey face and a simple headgear; his left arm reaches up to touch Rama’s fingers and his right arm hangs by his side. The perfect modelling of the figures and the attention to ornamentation demonstrate the sculptor’s skill. Tiwari corrects Klaus Bruhn’s earlier misidentification of the figure as Kumara, noting that Bruhn overlooked Hanuman’s presence. The article argues that the relief should be understood through the lens of Jaina adaptations of the Ramayana. Jain writers such as Vimalasuri (author of *Paumacariyam*, 3rd century), Sanghadasa (*Vasudevahindi*, 7th century), Ravisena (*Padmapurana*, 8th century), Gunabhadra (*Uttarapurana*, 9th century), Puspadanta (*Mahapurana*, 10th century) and Hemacandra (*Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpurusacaritra*, 12th century) produced detailed versions of the Rama story. In these narratives the number of Rama’s queens and the slaying of Ravana by Laksmana differ from the mainstream Hindu account. The strength of this literary tradition suggests that the Khajuraho panel reflects a Jaina rather than a Hindu interpretation. Tiwari also notes another frieze on the southern facade showing Sita seated under a tree at Asoka vatika in Lanka, surrounded by demons, as Hanuman delivers Rama’s ring—an episode well attested in Jaina sources. By situating the sculpture within Jaina literary tradition, the article demonstrates the cross-cultural exchange between Jainism and Hinduism in medieval Indian art.