Two huge statues of Tirthankaras found in Gandharvapuri

Indore. When it was taken out, it turned out to be huge and along with it, statues of Chamarendras were also found on both its sides. Some people call it Shantinath and some call it Mahavir's statue.

Huge statue of Tirthankara Rishabhanatha with Ganapati accompanying him - This statue is lying on the ground in Kayotsarga posture in the museum. This statue is about 15-16 feet tall including Ganapati.

At present, it is kept on the raw ground lying straight in the enclosure on the left side as soon as you enter the museum premises. Its pedestal and ceiling umbrella, garland holder etc. are broken which are not with this rock. This statue made of brown sandstone is very beautiful.

There are statues of Yakshi on both sides parallel to the seat in the Kayotsargasana posture in the entourage of this statue. On the right side is a Yakshi sitting in Lalitasana.

Due to the erosion of the stone, its carving is not very clear, however, a child sitting on the right leg, mango blossoms, leaves, bunch of fruits etc. can be clearly seen, which shows that this is the statue of Ambika Yakshi.

There is a statue of Yakshi on the left side of the main Tirthankara statue as well, this one is also sitting in Lalitasana. This four-armed goddess has chakras in her upper two hands, the other two arms are broken. This is likely to be a Chakraeshwari Yakshi.

There is a beautiful Shrivatsa on the chest of the huge statue, the halo near the shoulders on both sides remains, the remaining part of it is also preserved in the museum premises. Beautiful hair is shown hanging on the shoulders of this statue, three strands of them hanging forward on the shoulders are also engraved.

It is clear from this that this statue is of the first Tirthankara Rishabhnath Bhagwan. The statue of Chakraeshwari Yakshi near the pedestal also establishes that it is the statue of Adinatha.

Second huge statue and the entourage of huge statues- A huge statue of sandstone is lying on the raw ground in the local museum premises itself. The feet and pedestal of this Kayotsargastha statue are broken and missing, there is no entourage either, hence it cannot be determined which Tirthankara's statue it is. Its height including the missing part must have been about 17-18 feet.

It is 4 and a half feet wide. There is a remaining part of a huge halo in the premises here, its carving and shape matches with the broken residual halo of this statue. Above this halo is Trichhatraavali and on it are Dundubhivadak, Sangeetmandal and Gaganchar, all broken, they are part of it.

Chamarendra Yugala- A big statue was found half buried in the ground in a nearby house. It is said that when it was excavated, two big guards-fan bearers were also found in the ground near it. They are also called Chamarendra. They are also preserved in this museum.

They have been decorated with ornaments through beautiful carving. They are decorated with ornaments like anklets on the feet and wrists, beautiful undergarment sash, waist-sutra, bhutbandh, arm-garland, forest garland, yajnopaveet, neck-neck, necklace, breast-ring, ear-head, crown etc.

Vast Vitan part- Vitan means the carving of the idol's entourage above the shoulders. This Vitan part is also of a huge idol. There are three beautiful umbrellas carved in it, on both sides there are elephants with Abhishek-Gajalakshmi riding on them, on the tri-umbrella player there is a mridang player, on both sides of it there are garland-bearing deities carved and in the space above the dundubhi player there is a small Jina statue carved in a lotus-seated position in a deity.

Padpitha- In the premises itself there is a big pedestal with the support of the rampart, on top of it there is a small statue. This pedestal is also possible to be of one of these two big statues.

In this pedestal there is Dharmachakra in the middle, on both its sides there is an elephant facing forward, after them on both sides there is a lion carved sitting, after that on the right side there is a Yaksha and on the left side there is a Yakshi. Both are four-armed.

Since the face of the Yaksha is like that of a cow, this Yaksha appears to be the Gomukh of the first Tirthankara. Since pillars are carved in between, all the pedestals have got independent deities.

Analysis- 1- Both the idols are very beautiful. There has been a tradition of making the chavardhari (follower) of the entourage of the big idols in separate stones and installing them with them. The two big chavardhari (follower) found in the premises are likely to be of one of the two idols found.

Along with the Tirthankara Rishabhnath-image, not the Yaksha-Yakshi of Adinath but only his Yakshi Chakraeshwari has been carved. On the right side is the depiction of Tirthankara Neminath's Yakshi Ambika, who is shown with her child in her lap.

Ambika and Chakraeshwari are the only Yakshis whose independent idols were made in large numbers and they were worshipped as independent goddesses.

In Gandharvapuri itself, a beautiful idol of Chakraeshwari Yakshi with 20 arms is available and five independent beautiful idols of Chakraeshwari Yakshi with entourage are preserved in this museum.

Therefore, due to the popularity of Ambika Yakshini, she must have been given a place in the entourage of the big statue of Tirthankara Rishabhnath.