Ayagapata (

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

:अयागपट्ट) or Ayagapatta is a type of

votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

slab associated with worship in

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, 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 ...

Background

Numerous such stone tablets discovered during excavations at ancient Jain sites like

Kankali Tila ''Kankali Tila'' (also Kankali mound or Jaini mound) is a mound located at Mathura in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The name of the mound is derived from a modern temple of Hindu goddess Kankali. The famous Jain stupa was excavated her ...

near

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

in India. Some of them date back to 1st century C.E. These slabs are decorated with objects and designs central to Jain worship such as the ''

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

'', ''

dharmacakra 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 ...

'' and ''

triratna The Triratna ( pi, or ; sa, or ) is a Buddhist symbol, thought to visually represent the Three Jewels of Buddhism (the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha). Symbol The Triratna symbol is composed of: * A lotus flower within a circle. * A dia ...

''. A large number of ''ayagapata'' (tablet of homage), votive tablets for offerings and the worship of ''tirthankara'', were found at

Description

These stone tablets bear a resemblance to the earlier ''Shilapatas'' - stone tablets that were placed under trees to worship ''

Yaksha The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) 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 ...

s''. However, this was done by indigenous folk communities before

originated suggesting that both have commonalities in rituals. A scholar on Jain art wrote about an ''Ayagapata'' discovered around Kankali Tila, "The technical name of such a tablet was ''Ayagapata'' meaning homage panel."

Kankali Tila tablet of Sodasa The Kankali Tila tablet of Sodasa, also called the Iryavati stone tablet,Cultural Contours of India: Dr. Satya Prakash Felicitation Volume, Vijai Shankar Śrivastava - 1981, p.98 or Amohini ayagapata, is a large stone slab discovered in Kankali ...

and

Parsvanatha ayagapata The Pārśvanātha āyāgapaṭa, is a large stone slab discovered in Kankali (area of Mathura) which has an image of Parshvanatha, dating back to reign Sodasa, of Indo-Scythian Northern Satrap, the ruler Sodasa in Mathura. The tablet in the ...

are one of the important Ayagapata. Tablet of Sodasa is an adoration to

Mahavira Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...

dating back to and Parsvanatha ayagapata is an adoration to

Parsvanatha ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

dating back to .

Gallery

File:Jain Tablet Homage Set-up by Vasu the Daughter of Courtesan Lavana Sobhika - Circa 1st Century CE - Kankali Mound - ACCN 00-Q-7 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 5987.JPG, Ayagapatta, Jain Tablet of homage showing a

Jain stupa The Jain stupa was a type of stupa erected by the Jains for devotional purposes. A Jain stupa dated to the 1st century BCE-1st century CE was excavated at Mathura in the 19th century, in the Kankali Tila mound. Jain legends state that the earlie ...

(Circa 1st Century CE) (Photo:

Government Museum, Mathura __NOTOC__ Government Museum, Mathura, commonly referred to as Mathura museum, is an archaeological museum in Mathura city of Uttar Pradesh state in India. The museum was founded by then collector of the Mathura district, Sir F. S. Growse in ...

) File:Amohini relief, Mathura, circa 15 CE.jpg, A Kankali Tila plate, with an inscription mentioning the year 42 of the reign of

Northern Satraps The Northern Satraps (Brahmi: , ''Kṣatrapa'', "Satraps" or , ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps"), or sometimes Satraps of Mathura, or Northern Sakas, are a dynasty of Indo-Scythian rulers who held sway over the area of Eastern Punjab and Math ...

ruler

Sodasa Sodasa (Kharosthi: , ; Middle Brahmi script: , , also , ) was an Indo-Scythian Northern Satrap and ruler of Mathura during the later part of the 1st century BCE or the early part of 1st century CE. He was the son of Rajuvula, the Great Satrap ...

File:Jina Parsvanatha ayagapata, Mathura circa 15 CE.jpg, The Jina

(detail of an

ayagapata Ayagapata (Hindi language, Hindi:अयागपट्ट) or Ayagapatta is a type of votive slab associated with worship in Jainism. Background Numerous such stone tablets discovered during excavations at ancient Jain sites like Kankali Tila n ...

), Mathura circa 15 CE,

Lucknow Museum State Museum, Lucknow is a prominent museum located in the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, India. The museum is currently located in the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Gardens, Banarasi Bagh, Lucknow. The museum was established in 1863 from t ...

. File:Colossal Parasol with Eight Auspicious Symbols - Circa 1st Century CE - Gita Enclave - ACCN 00-72-5 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-23 5570.JPG, Jain Ashtamangala, 1st century File:Sivayasa Ayagapata, Kankali Tila, Mathura, 75-100 CE.jpg, Sivayasa Ayagapata,

File:Upper Half of Ayagapatta with Miniature Tirthankara and Other Sacred Symbols - Circa 1st Century CE - Chaubia Pada - ACCN 48-3426 - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 5984.JPG, Upper Half of Ayagapatta with Miniature Tirthankara and other sacred symbols, circa 1st Century CE

References

Citation

Sources