Stree Tirthankar Mallinath Ni Pratimao

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Stree Tirthankar Mallinath ni Pratimao" by Shilchandrasuri, in English:

The book explores the controversial topic of Tirthankar Mallinath's gender within Jainism, focusing on the differing views of the Shvetambar and Digambar sects and presenting archaeological evidence to support the Shvetambar perspective.

Theological Dispute:

• Mallinath: Mallinath is identified as the 19th Tirthankar of this era in Jainism.
• Shvetambar View: The Shvetambar sect believes that Mallinath was born as a female and propagated the Jain Dharma as a female Tirthankar. They cite scriptures that describe fifteen types of Siddhas, including "female Siddhas," and mention female Tirthankars as an "astonishment" of the current era. They argue that the absence of nudity (a key Digambar tenet) does not preclude a female from attaining Kevala Jnana (omniscience) and liberation. Some texts, like the Shri Nandi Sutra, describe the relative numbers of different types of liberated souls, with "female Tirthankars" being mentioned as attaining liberation, sometimes in groups of two or four, indicating that women have the right to achieve moksha.
• Digambar View: The Digambar sect rejects the idea of a female Tirthankar. Their core belief is that nudity is essential for attaining moksha. Since women are forbidden from practicing nudity, they cannot achieve liberation. Therefore, they consider the concept of a female Tirthankar to be irrelevant. According to the Digambar view, Mallinath was a male Tirthankar.

Archaeological and Art Historical Evidence:

The text then shifts to presenting evidence from art history and archaeology that supports the Shvetambar view.

• Discovery near Darbhanga: A newspaper report from "Hindustan" (July 4, 2002) and a subsequent mention in the magazine "Namo Tirthass" (February 2003) highlight the discovery of a stone Jin-pratima (idol of a Tirthankar) with a clearly female form near the Akor Basti (ancient Angutara of the Buddhist era) in the Madhubani region, near Darbhanga.
  • Professor Dr. Satyanarayan Thakur's Statement: According to Professor Thakur, a historian, this idol depicts the Jain female Tirthankar Mallinath. The standing idol, made of copper-colored stone, is approximately 2 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and 2 centimeters in diameter. Its estimated age is around 1500 BCE. Dr. Thakur states that the idol resembles the general form of Mahavira but clearly has female physical characteristics, including breasts, which he believes are sufficient to identify it as Mallinath. He further notes that the presence of clothing on the idol indicates it belongs to the Shvetambar tradition, suggesting Jainism was primarily under Shvetambar influence during that period.
• Fragmented Idol: The text recalls seeing a photograph of a damaged (headless but with breasts and elaborate hairstyles) idol of Mallinath in an old issue of the Ahmedabad-based magazine "Jain Satya Prakash," possibly in an article by Dr. U.P. Shah. This idol is still present in the Lucknow Museum and is frequently featured in art history books.
• Large Idol in Rajasthan: A large, female-form idol of Mallinath is reported to exist in an unknown location within a Digambar temple in Rajasthan. A glimpse of this idol is provided on the title page of the publication.
• Idol from Ghuna, Madhya Pradesh: More recently, an ancient idol of Mallinath, approximately 8-9 inches tall and featuring breasts and a braided hairstyle, was found in the Ghuna region of Madhya Pradesh.

Conclusion:

The author concludes that there are at least four known idols of Mallinath that depict a female form. These idols are ancient and serve as significant evidence to establish Mallinath as a female Tirthankar, thereby supporting the Shvetambar interpretation.