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 Akota is one of the 182 assembly constituencies of Gujarat. It is located in Vadodara district. This seat came into existence after 2008 delimitation. List of segments This assembly seat represents the following segments, # Vadodara Taluka (P ...

near

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

in the Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

. It includes rare

Gupta period The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

bronzes that have been widely used for comparison of Gupta period art. Akota (formerly Ankottaka) was a major centre of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

in the 5th century AD and is mentioned in texts. The hoard provides information on metallic art and development of metal technology during

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname of Indian origin, meaning "guardian" or "protector". Origins and distribution The name is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means "guardian" or "protector". According to historian ...

, post-Gupta and medieval period.

Discovery

The images were dug out sometime before June 1951. A University of Baroda professor brought five of them to archaeologist Umakant Premanand Shah for examination. Shah eventually purchased most of the images from local individuals and presented them to M. S. University of Baroda, which are now in the Baroda Museum. Only two of the images are dated. Shah dated the rest of them on palaeographic basis. They range from the 5th to 12th centuries. They may have belonged to the Vasatika of Arya Rath established in

Kshatrapa A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. A satrapy is the territory governed by a satrap. ...

era. None of the images date after 1100 AD, suggesting that they were buried for safeguarding from the invasion of Gujarat by

Alp Khan Alp Khan (died late 1315 or early 1316) was a general and brother-in-law of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He served as Alauddin's governor of Gujarat, and held considerable influence at the royal court of Delhi during the last year ...

, a general of

Alauddin Khalji Alauddin Khalji (; ), born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes in the Delhi Sultanate, related to revenue ...

Major images

Two images of Jivantasvami, (representation of

Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

who was still a prince), are widely mentioned examples of the early western Indian school of art. One of them is specifically inscribed as Jivantasvami installed by Nagisvari, which represents early phase of the Gupta style. Two images of

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

(one of Parsvanatha) are from the post-Gupta period. An image inscribed as donated by Sadhu Sarvadeva include eight standing figures representing the eight planets, on both sides of the

dharmachakra The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र, ) or wheel of dharma is a symbol used in the Dharmic religions. It has a widespread use in Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art,'' p. ...

. Notable images of Ambika on lion and standing

Sarasvati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

are from the same period. A Chamardharini (Chaurie Bearer) stands in

tribhanga Tribhaṅga or Tribunga is a standing body position or stance used in traditional Indian art and Indian classical dance forms like the Odissi, where the body bends in one direction at the knees, the other direction at the hips and then the oth ...

pose on a carefully carved lotus pedestal. It represents a western India school during the

Chaulukya The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

period between the 11th and 12th centuries. Earliest image of

Rishabhanatha Rishabhanatha (Devanagari: ऋषभनाथ), also Rishabhadeva (Devanagari: ऋषभदेव, ), Rishabha (Devanagari: ऋषभ, ) or Ikshvaku (Devanagari: इक्ष्वाकु, ''Ikṣvāku''), is the first (Supreme preacher) ...

with

Yaksha The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...

and

Yakshini Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit languages, Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hinduism, Hindu, Buddhism, Buddhist, and Jainism, Jain religious mythologies that are different from Hindu deities, Devas and Asuras and Gandharva ...

was found in Akota.

Inscriptions

The inscriptions mention these monastic lineages * Nivrati Kula * Chandra Kula * Vidyadhara Kula * Nagendra Kula * Gohadra Kula Modern Jnatis of shravakas are not mentioned, with the exception of a late image of about AD 1000 which mentions Modh

Gachchha Gaccha, alternatively spelled as Gachchha, is a monastic order, along with lay followers, of the idol worshipping Murtipujaka Śvetāmbara sect of Jainism. Etymology ''Gaccha'' literally means "who travel together". History According to Jain ...

. However an earlier image datable to AD 600–650 refers to a sadhu (shravaka) from (nirgata) Kaserahadra. Two of the images refer to goshthikas (guild members) of weavers (salapati).

Significance

The Akota bronzes are of considerable artistic and historical significance. * The inscriptions attest the earliest use of title "Sadhu" (shahu or Shah) by the lay Jains. * The tradition of legendary wooden Jivantasvami image is attested by the image of about 550 AD, specifically inscribed as Jivantasvami. It is regarded to be the first clothed Jain image. It was installed shortly after the Valabhi vachana presided by

Devardhigani Kshamashraman Devardhi or Vachanacharya Devardhigani Kshamashramana or Devavachaka was a Jain ascetic of the Śvetāmbara sect and an author of several Prakrit texts. He was a prominent figure in Jainism in the ''5th century AD''. Mainly known for his contr ...

a in AD 453.An Epitome of Jainism : Being a Critical Study of Its Metaphysics, Ethics, and History and Culture in Relation to Modern Thought Puran Chand Nahar, 1917, p. 656 *

Jinabhadra Gani Kshamashramana Jinabhadra or Vācanācārya Jinabhadragaṇī Kṣamāśramaṇa was Jain ascetic author of Prakrit and Sanskrit texts. Life Jinabhadra (520-623 AD) was a Śvetāmbara Jain monk during sixth-seventh century CE. Not much is known about his lif ...

, is mentioned in the installer of the Rishabhanath image, who wrote the Visheshavashyaka Bhashya.

Museums

Most of the Akota bronzes are in the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery. There are examples in the

National Museum, New Delhi The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from the pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions un ...

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

(New York), and

Honolulu Academy of Arts The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. It has one of the largest single collectio ...

References

Citation

Sources

* * *

External links

Iconography of Early Jainism (Part 3) – Fig. 18. (right) Jivantasvamin, metal image of the Svetambaras, Akota hoard.

Enthroned Jina, probably Neminatha, late 7th century, India (Gukarat, Akota)
{{Jainism Topics Indian sculpture Treasure troves in India Jain sculptures Gupta art Vadodara district Sculptures in India