Another Rare Icon of the Digambara Padmavati
By Lalit Kumar
Summary
Padmāvatī, the yakṣī (female attendant deity) of the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha, is one of the most widely worshipped Jain goddesses. In mainstream iconography she is shown golden‑complexioned with a serpent‑hood behind her head, seated or standing on a lotus and accompanied by a snake or cock; the goddess usually has two or four arms holding a lotus, rosary, fruit and rein. The Digambara tradition also preserves elaborate textual descriptions of a rare twenty‑four‑armed Padmāvatī. Lalit Kumar’s article presents a bronze icon from Karnataka that appears to follow the Padmāvatī‑stotra and Pratiṣṭhāsāra‑saṅgraha texts. After noting that these texts are among the few sources to describe the 24‑armed form, Kumar summarises their iconographic instructions: the goddess has a red complexion, sits on a lotus on the body of her vehicle and is sheltered by a multi‑headed serpent; her twenty‑four arms hold a conch, sword, cakra, crescent, blue lotus, bow, spear, noose, bell, arrow, pestle, plough, trident, axe, cobra, daṇḍa, fruit, club, leaf, stalk and varada gesture. The article describes how the bronze icon faithfully reproduces this complex arrangement. The deity’s hands are arranged symmetrically with the principal attributes (vajra and goad) in the upper right pair and the cakra and lotus in the upper left pair. A unique feature is her vahana: instead of the usual snake‑cock combination, she rides a haṃsa (swan). The author compares this image with the four‑ and six‑armed Padmāvatīs described in the texts and with sculptures from Deogarh, noting similarities in the ornaments and the use of a canopy of snake hoods. By documenting and analysing this bronze, the article provides valuable evidence that medieval sculptors consciously followed textual prescriptions, and it highlights the continuity between scripture and material culture in Jainism. The study also demonstrates how Jain Yakshi iconography absorbed elements from Śaiva and Śākta goddess traditions while retaining distinct features such as the serpent hood and lotus base. The article concludes that the discovery of this 24‑armed bronze expands the corpus of known Padmāvatī images and confirms the authenticity of the descriptions found in the Padmāvatī‑stotra and Pratiṣṭhāsāra‑saṅgraha.
Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.
Conclusion
This article showcases a rare 24‑armed bronze image of Padmāvatī that corroborates the complex descriptions in Digambara texts. By comparing the sculpture’s attributes and posture with iconographic prescriptions, the author demonstrates the fidelity of craftsmen to canonical literature and underscores Padmāvatī’s role as a powerful protective goddess. The study also illustrates how Jain art blended distinctive features like the serpent hood and lotus base with broader South‑Asian goddess iconography. The evidence enriches our understanding of the diversity of Padmāvatī forms and shows that textual descriptions served as practical guides for sculptors.