Padmavati, The Jaina Goddess, Sholapur,
circa 12th century A.D. in Government Museum, Chandigarh, India.
Goddess Padmavati is seated with her
right foot placed on the left. In her upper and lower right hands are the mace
(gada) and the conch (shankha) respectively. The intact upper
left hand has a staff with floriated upper portion. The attribute in the broken
left hand cannot be ascertained. The goddess wears lavish ornaments, of which
long garland and conical crown set with jewels deserve special mention. The
halo has projecting spies. There is the presence of the snakehood on top of the
crown of the goddess. The hood consists of five snakes. The sculpture is an
excellent example of the medieval sculpture of 12th century A.D.' (1).
Padmāvatī is the
protective goddess or Shashan Devi of Lord Parsvanatha,
twenty-third Jain
tirthankara.
She enjoys an independent religious life and is very popular amongst Jains. According
to the Digambara
tradition, Padmavati and her husband Dharnendra
protected Lord Parsvanath when he was harassed by Meghalin. Svetambara
tradition, however, does not list Padmavati among the main queens of Dharnendra.
A snakes hood covers her head, and she sits on a lotus flower. Often a small
image of the Lord Parsvanath is placed in her crown (2).
(1) Source: write up in the Museum
(2) Source: Wikipedia
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