Rare Sculpture Of Mallinatha

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided text, focusing on the rare sculpture of Mallinatha:

The article, "A Rare Sculpture of Mallinatha" by Dr. Umakant Premanand Shah, discusses a unique Jain sculpture housed in the Provincial Museum, Lucknow. This sculpture, made of black stone and measuring 1'4" x 1'7", depicts a headless Tirthankara seated in the padmasana and dhyana mudra.

Key features and identification:

• Deviated Lanchana: The lanchana (cognizance) on the seat, which likely represented the Tirthankara's symbol, is defaced. However, a faint representation of a water-jar, the usual cognizance of Mallinatha, is discernible.
• Prominent Breasts: The sculpture features developed and prominent breasts, which strongly suggest it represents a female figure. This is a significant detail because most other known sculptures of Mallinatha depict the Tirthankara as male.
• Mallinatha's Identity: The text explains that according to Svetambara Jain tradition, Mallinatha, the 19th Tirthankara, was a princess. The Digambara sect, however, does not believe in the liberation of women and thus considers Mallinatha to have been a prince. Since all other Tirthankaras are considered male in Svetambara tradition, this sculpture is identified as representing Mallinatha according to the Svetambara belief.
• Uniqueness: The developed breasts make this sculpture exceptionally rare, as it faithfully adheres to the Svetambara tradition of Mallinatha being female, unlike most other representations that appear male.
• Dating: The sculpture is assigned to the early medieval period.

Additional Visuals:

The article also includes images of Ambika Devi from the Vimala-Vasahi and Luna-Vasahi temples in Delvada (Abu), dating to the 12th and 13th centuries respectively. While these images are presented, the primary focus of the written content is on the Lucknow sculpture. The context of why these Ambika images are included is not explicitly detailed in the provided excerpt, but they might be for comparative or contextual purposes within the larger work.