Essay name: Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala (study)
Author:
Shri N. M. Kansara
Affiliation: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda / Department of Sanskrit Pali and Prakrit
This is an English study of the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala, a Sanskrit poem written in the 11th century. Technically, the Tilaka-manjari is classified as a Gadyakavya (鈥減rose-romance鈥�). The author, Dhanapala was a court poet to the Paramara king Munja, who ruled the Kingdom of Malwa in ancient west-central India.
Chapter 12 - Cultural Data
31 (of 104)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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completely developed a system of their own with a multitude
of images with canonical and mythical details. With the
Jains the images no doubt originated from the T墨rthankaras.
The governing idea of the image seems to be that it reminds
a believer of the condition through which a Tirthankara
passed to attain salvation and that affords him a strong
incentive to follow the noble example of the Tirthankara
142 in life. He further remarks that ideas of auspicious-
ness, prosperity, wealth, kingly splendour and so on found
a direct outlet in the sculptural art in the images of
subordinate gods and goddesses like Ga峁噀艣a, 艣r墨, Kubera,
Indra, etc.. The long-standing tradition and well-establi-
shed images of these gods in Brahmanism directly appealed
to the Jains. It seems they were necessary for the mass 鈻�
appeal in view of such a mass appeal of Br膩hma峁噄co-P奴r膩峁噄c
image-worship.
The icinigraphic aspect of sculpture has received
much attention at the hands of Dhanap膩la especially in the
case of the Jain images of the first Tirthankara 峁氠梗abha
and the last one, viz., Mah膩v墨ra.
The image of Lord R峁bha installed in the adytum of
142. JI,p.20.
