Ajitanatha-The 2nd Jain Tirthankara
Date and findspot unknown
Artefact Details
This sculptural relief depicts Ajitanatha, the 2nd Jina, identifiable by the presence of an elephant, his lakshana, positioned next to him. The Jina stands in kayotsarga, the meditative posture of bodily abandonment, where arms hang loosely next to the body and hands are open and empty. This pose is associated with the Digambara (sky~clad) sect, as it underscores the Jina's complete renunciation articulated through nudity, expressing a strict adherence to aparigraha, non~possession, a key aspect of this philosophy to avert vanity. His nudity confirms that this sculpture was commissioned by Digambara followers.
The figure is rendered with all the hallmark features of a Tirthankara depiction: elongated earlobes, ushnisha, trivali, and shrivatsa. The Jina stands with a stylised leaf next to his feet in a niche~like architectural frame, now damaged, suggesting the relief was once part of a larger panel in a temple or shrine. Within a lower niche to the left of the Jina sits a devotee with hands clasped in anjali-mudra marking adoration. This figure, possibly the patron of this image, also appears to be a Digambara follower. A partially legible Sanskrit inscription near the base reads "a man of good fortune;' a phrase often invoking the spiritual wealth attained through detachment and right conduct.
Perched in the section above this is a recumbent elephant. This is very different from the lustrating elephants generally used in Jina iconography in the top section near the head of the figure. This, therefore, could be the Jina's lakshana, or cognisance. The mutilated left edge of the panel indicates it was likely oriented in procession from right to left, an arrangement typical of Jain temple friezes.