A Unique Image of Rsabhanatha in the State Museum, Lucknow

Summary

In this detailed iconographic study, Maruti Nandan Prasad Tiwari discusses a remarkable Jaina sculpture (acc. no. 16.0.178) in the State Museum, Lucknow. The buff‑coloured sandstone image was found at Orai in Jalaun district, Uttar Pradesh and measures 47.6 × 36.3 inches. The central figure is Ṛṣabha­nātha, the first tirthankara, seated cross‑legged in meditation on a lotus cushion over a triratha pedestal supported by two lions; his hands rest in dhyāna‑mudrā, his palms and soles are marked with cakra symbols and a śrīvatsa mark adorns his chest. His hair is arranged in spiral curls with a tall uṣṇīṣa and unplaited lateral strands falling on each shoulder. Below the seat a bull, his cognisance, is carved and the throne’s corners hold the yakṣa–yakṣi pair. Tiwari emphasises that the composition is fully developed early‑medieval Jina iconography, but the image is unusual because a dharmacakra with suspended ribbons and two Jaina goddesses appears above the throne, one identifiable as Ambikā and the other possibly as Lakṣmī. Such a triad of goddesses is rarely associated with Ṛṣabha­nātha and suggests assimilation of local goddess cults. The article compares this sculpture to Gupta‑ and early‑medieval images from Mathurā and notes features like the presence of muktā‑varāla (jeweled lozenges) on the seat, the ornate cushion and the bull cognisance. The author concludes that the piece probably dates to the 11th century and adds significantly to our understanding of regional variations in Jaina art.