A BUFF SANDSTONE STELE OF RISHABHANATA

Jainism is propagated through the stories of twenty-four tirthankaras, figures who have conquered samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth), and provide others a path to follow them to moksha (liberation). Tirthankaras are often depicted as an ideal yogi in a seated posture, as in the present example, or kayotsarga, the standing “body-abandonment” pose. They also often have a srivatsa mark on their chest, perhaps to distinguish them from similar images of Buddha.

Also known as Adinatha, Rishabhanatha is the first of the twenty-four Jinas, identified by the attributes of the bull and the distinctive hairstyle. When King Rishabhanatha renounced the world, he began to uproot his hair in the presence of Indra. After removing five handfuls, Indra asked him to stop when he saw how beautifully his remaining hair graced his shoulders. According to Digambara sources he shaved all his hair and it grew back in long locks during meditation.

The exaggerated elongation of the eyes, the upraised arched eyebrows, plump lips and round face relate strongly to other depictions of tirthankaras from this region and period; see the Musee Guimet # MA 6146.