VILLUPURAM: A Jain sculpture of Dharmadevi, believed to date to the Later Chola period, was found at Karadippakkam village near Villupuram during a field study conducted by research scholar C Immanuel and postgraduate history students P Rahul, M Senthamizh Selvan and V Senthamizh Maran of Arignar Anna Government Arts College, Villupuram.
During their study in the village on Thursday, the team found the female sculpture beneath a peepal tree on the premises of the Mariamman temple. Immanuel said an examination of the sculpture showed that it was Dharmadevi, the yakshi (guardian deity) of Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara of Jainism. She is worshipped by Jains under different names, including Ambika, Ambai, Amba, Kushmandini and Amra Kushmandini.
The sculpture, measuring about 3 feet in height, depicts Dharmadevi as seated in sukhasana on a pedestal with a crown on her head. A seated image of Neminatha Tirthankara is depicted on the front of the crown. The sculpture has earrings, a pearl necklace, sarapali and yajnopavita. The right hand holds a blue water lily, while the left hand is shown in the varada hasta pose. Keyuras, shoulder ornaments and bangles are depicted on her arms.
Further, she has been found wearing a full-length garment with a girdle around her waist. Anklets and silambu are depicted on her feet. A lion, the vehicle of Dharmadevi, is shown below her right foot. Her two children and a maid are also depicted. A decorative prabhavali is seen behind Dharmadevi, with branches of a mango tree depicted at the top.
Immanuel said the sculpture could indicate the existence of a Jain temple, or Jinālaya, in the Karadippakkam area during the Later Chola period. The temple may have subsequently disappeared. Based on its sculptural features, the image could be dated to the 13th-14th century CE, he said.
Chola-period Tirthankara sculptures continue to be found in villages along the Thenpennai river, including Marangiyur, Enathirimangalam, Korathi and Kanisapakkam, he said, and added, “The presence of these Tirthankara sculptures indicates that Jainism had flourished in the areas along the Thenpennai river."
According to the researchers, the identification of the sculpture as a Later Chola-period work is based on the iconographic features of Dharmadevi, which indicate a date between the 13th and 14th centuries. They also said there was no known connection between the sculpture and the Jain site at Mel Sithamur.
