Le Tirthankara Risabhanatha

myminifactory

This sculpture carved into sandstone depicts the figure of Rishabhanatha (or Adinatha), the first among twenty-four Jain Tribthankhara masters. Jainism recognizes twenty-four sages responsible for transmitting its core principles over centuries. Seated on a cushion, in the lotus or vajraparyankasana diamond pose, jina Rishabhanatha is shown naked and tranquil. His hands clasped together in his lap form the meditation gesture of dhyana mudra. A distinctive hairstyle with stylized curls, some of which fall back into locks on his two shoulders, makes it easily recognizable as the only one among all Tirthankhara to be adorned this way. Deeply immersed in meditation, jina Rishabhanatha appears detached from worldly attachments and earthly concerns. The sculptor skillfully combined Jain aesthetic canons with purified forms of medieval Indian statuary from the 11th-12th centuries, creating a harmonious representation. This jina was highly revered by the Digambara sect, which built three temples - Pârsvanâtha, Ghantâi, and Adinâth - on the outskirts of Khajurâho, the former capital of the Candella dynasty. Nearly sixty images of Rishabhanatha were discovered in these locations, often depicted sitting in meditation or standing frozen in nakedness.