This was the first known bronze hoard discovered in the Gangetic valley and consists of a set of 18

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

bronzes. The Chausa hoard, thus named after the place of discovery:

Chausa Chausa is a village and corresponding community development block in Buxar district, Bihar, India. It is located 11 km west of the district headquarters, Buxar, on the bank of the river Ganga. As of 2011, the population of the village of ...

or Chausagarh is located in the

Buxar district Buxar district is one of the 38 districts of Bihar, India. Located in the southwestern part of the state, it is a primarily agricultural district. The district headquarters is at the town of Buxar. Etymology According to local traditions, t ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

state, India.

History

This was the first known bronze hoard discovered in the Gangetic valley and consists of a set of 18

bronzes. The oldest of such bronzes to be found in India, experts date them between the

Shunga is a type of Japanese erotic art typically executed as a kind of ukiyo-e, often in woodblock print format. While rare, there are also extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e. Translated literally, the Japanese word ''shunga' ...

and the Gupta period, (from 2nd, or possibly the 1st century BC, to the 6th Century AD). Patrick Krueger in his classification of Jain bronzes, regards them to be early type, characterized by portrayal of a single Tirthankara without a parikara.

Major Idols

The hoard includes a

Dharmachakra The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pali: ''dhammacakka'') or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and especially Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle o ...

showing Dharmachakra supported by two

yakshi ''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...

s supported by makaras; a

kalpavriksha Kalpavriksha () is a wish-fulfilling divine tree in Indian religions, like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Its earliest descriptions are mentioned in Sanskrit literature. It is also a popular theme in Jain cosmology and Buddhism. ...

and sixteen

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a ' ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the '' dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable pass ...

s. Among the tirthankaras, those of

Rishabha Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain co ...

are easily identified by the locks of hair.Indian bronze masterpieces: the great tradition : specially published for the Festival of India, Karl J. Khandalavala, Asharani Mathur, Sonya Singh, p.56 The bronzes currently reside in the

Patna museum Patna Museum is the state museum of the Indian state of Bihar. Started on 3 April 1917 during the British Raj to house the historical artefacts found in the vicinity of Patna, it is in the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is known ...

. Other well-known hoards of Jain bronzes include

Akota Bronzes The Akota Bronzes represent a rare and important set of 68 Jain images, dating to between the 6th and 12th centuries AD, which were found in the vicinity of Akota near Baroda in the Indian state of Gujarat. It includes rare Gupta period bronzes t ...

, found in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

;

Vasantgarh hoard In 1956, 240 Jain bronze idols were discovered dating back to early medieval to medieval period. The Vasantgarh hoard, thus named after the place of discovery, Vasantgarh is located in the Sirohi District of Rajasthan, India. Description In 19 ...

, found in

Vasantgarh Vasa is a village in Sirohi District in Rajasthan state in India. It is 9 km from Swarupganj and 25 km from Abu Road and also known as Vasantpur or Vasantgarh. Vasa also has got a temple Laxminarayan Mandir whose foundation stone was ...

;

Hansi hoard Hansi, is a city and municipal council in Hisar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It appears that at one time Hansi was larger, more prosperous and more important than Hisar. The town has several important buildings of archeological import ...

, found in

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...

; and

Aluara bronzes The Aluara Bronzes or Aluara Hoard represent a rare and important set of Jain images found in Aluara near Dhanbad region of Bihar, in Eastern India. History These bronze images dedicated to Jain tirthankaras that dates back to 11th century. ...

, found in

. File:Rishabhadeva, Bronze from Chausa, Bihar, dating from 7th century A.D. 37644.jpg, Rishabhadeva, Bronze from Chausa, Bihar

Notes

References

* Huntington, Susan; The art of Ancient India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain *
Buddhapada
Treasure troves of India Jain sculptures Sculptures from Bihar {{Bihar-geo-stub

History

Major Idols

See also

Notes

References