Faunal Diversity in Jain Sculptures of the State Museum, Lucknow

Abstract

In the Jaina religion, there is no concept of caste, and every human has attained equal right to attain moksha. They follow the Śramaṇa culture, which states all living forms are equal and no one is superior on the basis of gotra or wealth; the superiority is assessed by the deeds, knowledge, modesty and path of righteousness. The tradition of idol worship in the Jaina religion is considered to have evolved back to 527 BCE, the period when Tīrthaṅkara Mahāvīra attained Nirvāṇa. The nude bust of a male recovered from Lohanipur, Patna, Bihar indicates towards the origin of Jaina sculptures. K.P. Jaiswal and M.A. Dhanki have regarded it as the earliest Jaina sculpture. The Jain religion originated in the Gangetic plain of Bihar and reached up to Gujarat, passing through Rajasthan and Mathura. The evidence of nude sculptures of c.1st century. C.E. to c.2nd Cent. CE unearthed from Mathura confirms the presence of Jaina Sect followers at Mathura. In Jainism, Tīrthaṅkaras are the saviour and supreme teachers of Dharma. They have passed all the hurdles of birth and rebirth of life, attained nirvāṇa and have created the path to follow. In Jaina philosophy life of every person is divided into two parts, the first one is Utsarpiṇī, the ascending time scale, and the second one is avasarpiṇī, the descending time scale. This research is focused on the study of fauna depicted on the Jaina sculptures preserved in the State Museum, Lucknow. Quantitative data analysis methods and direct observation methods were applied to collect the data. There are a variety of mammals, reptiles and fishes depicted on the stone sculptures of Jaina Tīrthaṅkara, or on the Ayāgapatta, they are depicted either in the form of a symbol or as on the Charanachauki. Each Tīrthaṅkara has its lāñchhana, and the sculpture can be identified on the basis of that.