Four Pañca‑Tīrthikas from Bhagalpur
Summary
The Svetambara Jaina Temple at Campanagar, a suburb of Bhagalpur, was constructed around 1760 A.D. by the Svetambaras of Murshidabad, standing upon the ruins of the ancient capital city of Anga, Campapuri. The present temple is an example of solid masonry work with Greco-Roman architectural style. The temple contains fifty stone and bronze images, among which the author selects four bronze Panca-Tirthikas of great archaeological and religious importance for study. The author thinks that the Jainas during their golden days circa 15th-16th century A.D. propagated the fivefold path for attaining samyak jnana in terms of these Panca-Tirthika icons, which may also be related to the fivefold vows of the Jainas: non-injury, non-lying, abstinance from theft, chastity, and detachment from all external and internal temptation. The Panca-Tirthikas under discussion are beautiful examples of the medieval metal art of India. They are well preserved and under worship, with five Tirthankaras grouped together in a geometrical composition. The mukhya-nayakas in all four icons are seated cross-legged in deep meditation, with two standing Tirthankaras by the side of the mukhya-nayaka, and on each end is a standing flywhisk-bearer in tribhanga posture. By the side of each mukhya-nayaka’s halo are two seating Tirthankaras also in deep meditation, and on each end is a dancing Gandharva. A pair of truncated elephants are on either side of the mukhya-nayaka’s chatra, and on the right and left ends of the lion-throne are shown respectively the figures of the attendant Yaksa and Yaksi. In the centre of the lower-most end of the pedestal is placed the mother goddess seated in the ‘ardha-paryankasana, and the shrine is topped by a beautiful finial flanked by a pair of fishes. The earliest of these Panca-Tirthikas bears the date samvat 1523 (A.D. 1466), with the mukhya-nayaka being Bhagavan Sambhavanatha, the third Jaina Tirthankara. The next belonged to samvat 1581 (A.D. 1524), with the mukhya-nayaka being Bhagavan Santinatha, the sixteenth Jaina Tirthankara. The third bears the date samvat 1585 (A.D. 1528), with the mukhya-nayaka being Bhagavan Adinatha, the first Tirthankara, and the last Panca-Tirthika belonged to samvat 1603 (A.D. 1546), with the mukhya-nayaka being Bhagavan Sumatinatha, the fifth Jaina Tirthankara. Stylistically, all these four icons belonged to one school and show similarities with the western school of Jaina metal art. The Panca-Tirthikas from Bhagalpur show similarities with the Panca-Tirthikas from west India displayed in the Los Angeles County Museum (U.S.A.), Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, Central Archaeological Museum, Gwalior, and one enshrined in Sagardighi, Murshidabad, but in comparison to each other, the Bhagalpur Panca-Tirthikas are artistic from an iconographic point of view as they contain all iconographic details. The article discusses the temple's history, citing sources such as Martin, Buchanan, Patil, Sinha, the Uttaradhyayana Sutra, and the Tattvartha-raja-vartika.
AI-generated summary, automatically checked against the article text.
Conclusion
This study of the four Pañca-Tīrthikas from Bhagalpur highlights their significant archaeological and religious importance within the Svetambara Jaina Temple at Campanagar. Dating from 1466 to 1546 A.D., these icons exemplify the medieval metal art of India, reflecting a distinct stylistic school closely related to the western Jaina metal art tradition. Their iconography, featuring a central meditating Tirthankara flanked by standing and seated figures, is exceptionally detailed and artistically superior to comparable collections. These findings imply that during the 15th and 16th centuries, Jaina communities utilized these five-fold iconographic groups to visually represent the path to right knowledge, potentially corresponding to the five fundamental vows of Jainism. Consequently, the Bhagalpur icons serve as crucial evidence for the propagation of Jaina doctrine and the geographical reach of its artistic and religious practices during this historical period.