Parsvanatha

This sandstone sculpture illustrates the triumph of Jina Parsvanatha over the cloud prince Samvara. Parsvanatha was the 23rd ‘tirthankara’ (saint) of the Jain religion. Here he is depicted naked beneath a Dhataki tree, practising the ‘exposure to all weather’ austerity.

Samvara has sent a great storm (symbolised by the hands and drums in stylised clouds in the upper corners) to disturb Parsvanatha’s meditations. However, the serpent-king Dharanendra raises up his seven hoods to provide shelter for the Jina. Dharanendra's consort Padmavati, seen to the Jina's left, holds an umbrella to further protect Parsvanatha from the forces of the storm. The ‘wheel of law’ (‘dharmachakra’), which symbolises the Jina's teachings, is beneath the throne.