Iconographic Features of the Sixteen Jaina Mahāvidyās as Enunciated in the Iconographic Texts

The Sixteen Jaina Mahavidyas forming a group of Tantric goddesses had enjoyed the most favoured position among both the Svetambara and Digambara Jaina sects. Almost all the iconographic texts from c. eighth century onwards deal with the individual iconogaphic features of the Six- teen Jalna Mahavidyas The final lists of the Sixteen Mahavidyaās among both

Transcribed from the prepared edition. This is the beginning of the article, not a summary — open the PDF to read it in full.

तिवारी आठवीं शताब्दी से आगे के शिल्पग्रन्थों के आधार पर सोलह जैन महाविद्याओं का प्रतिमालक्षण प्रस्तुत करते हैं। प्रत्येक देवी के श्वेताम्बर और दिगम्बर स्वरूप — भुजा, आयुध, वाहन — वे चतुर्विंशतिका, आचारदिनकर, प्रतिष्ठासारोद्धार आदि ग्रन्थों से तालिकाबद्ध करते हैं, और बताते हैं कि किनकी मूर्तियाँ अब तक नहीं मिलीं। Tiwari sets out the iconography of the sixteen Jaina Mahavidyas as the texts prescribe it from about the eighth century. For each goddess he tabulates the Svetambara and the Digambara form, arms, attributes and vahana, from the Caturvimsatika, the Acaradinakara and the Pratisthasaroddhara, and notes where no sculpture survives.

Written by the archive’s cataloguers, not by the author.