Two Rare Icons Of Parshwa Yaksha

Here is a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Two Rare Icons of Parshwa Yaksha" by Dr. Balaji Ganorkar:

The article discusses two rare elephant-faced deity icons discovered in the niches of Shakti Kunda at Akhaj village, near Mahesana in Gujarat, India. These icons, located in niches on the first landing in the south and north directions of the Kunda, share some common features but also exhibit variations.

Description of the Icons:

• Both Icons:

  • Are elephant-faced.
  • Are four-armed.
  • Are canopied by a five-hooded cobra.
  • Have a snake seated beside their left leg.
  • Bear cap-type metallic headdresses and other typical ornaments.
  • Have a slim and simple body.

• First Icon (South Niche):

  • Stands in a tribhanga posture.
  • Trunk is turned leftward, seemingly drinking a liquid from a bhringaraka (vessel) held in its front left hand.
  • Front right hand is mutilated from the elbow.
  • Back right hand holds a three-hooded cobra.
  • Back left hand holds an akusha (goad).
  • Both teeth are present.

• Second Icon (North Niche):

  • Stands in a dvibhanga posture.
  • Trunk coils to the right.
  • Back right hand holds a three-hooded cobra.
  • Back left hand holds a scripture.
  • Front right hand holds an ankusha (goad).
  • Front left hand holds a small bhringuruka (vessel).

Identification and Interpretation:

While Dr. P. C. Parikh identified these icons as Ganesha, the author argues against this identification due to the absence of key Ganesha characteristics: the mount mushuk (rat), Bhagnadanta (broken tooth), modakputra (bowl of sweet balls), and lamhodaru (pot-bellied stomach). These are considered essential features for Ganesha icons.

The author proposes that these icons are more likely representations of Parshva Yaksha, a deity prominent in Jain traditions. The text cites Jain scriptures like Shilpa Ratnakur and Trishashti Shalakapurusha Charitru, which describe Parshva Yaksha as:

• Canopied by cobra-hoods.
• Elephant-faced.
• Bearing attributes such as bijapuraka (citrus), Sarpa (snake), and varadumudra (a gesture of blessing).
• Having a tortoise as his mount (indicated by the snake beside the leg, which the author suggests could be a representation or a symbolic association, and the tortoise is noted as a known attribute).

The presence of cobra-hoods over the head and a snake in one of the hands strongly supports the identification as Parshva Yaksha. The author suggests that these icons might have been moved to the Shakti Kunda from a nearby Jain temple. Their elephant face led to them being commonly mistaken for Ganesha, a more popular Hindu deity.

The article also notes that ancient images of Parshva Yaksha are rare. It mentions that only one such image was previously documented by K. V. Dave, preserved in the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai. The author highlights that Parshva Yaksha seems to have been "disappeared and intermixed" with the iconography of Ganesha and Vinayaka, who are also elephant-faced deities. The rarity of Vinayaka images in general is also pointed out, with only one ancient image noted in Varanasi.

In essence, the article presents a scholarly argument for identifying two unique elephant-faced icons at Shakti Kunda as representations of the Jain deity Parshva Yaksha, based on scriptural evidence and iconographic analysis, contrasting them with the commonly accepted but less fitting identification as Ganesha.