Jain sculptures orJain idols are the images depictingTirthankaras (teaching gods). These images are worshiped by the followers ofJainism. The sculpture can depict any of the twenty-fourtirthankaras with images depictingParshvanatha,Rishabhanatha, orMahāvīra being more popular. Jain sculptures are an example ofJain art.^[1][2] There is a long history of construction of Jain sculptures. Early examples includeLohanipur Torsos which has been regarded to be from theMaurya period,^[3] and images from theKushan period from Mathura.^[4]

The Jain idols are males depicted in both sitting and standing postures.^[5] Thetīrthaṅkaras are represented either Padmasana (seated in yoga posture) or standing in theKayotsarga posture.^[6]Parshvanatha statues are usually depicted with a snake crown on head,Bahubali statues are usually depicted covered with creepers.^[7] However, there are a few differences inDigambara andŚvetāmbara depiction of idols.^[5] Digambara images are naked without any beautification whereas Śvetāmbara ones are clothed and decorated with temporary ornaments.^[5]

TheJivantasvami images represent LordMahavira (and in some cases other Tirthankaras) as a prince, with a crown and ornaments. The Jina is represented as standing in thekayotsarga pose.^[8][9]

Gopachal rock-cut Jain monuments (14-15th CE) are images of Jain Tirthankaras carved in the Gopachal Hill, Gwalior in the state ofMadhya Pradesh.^[10][11]

Various bronze idols of tirthankaras have been discovered in different states.Akota Bronzes andVasantgarh hoard of Gujarat;Hansi hoard of Haryana,Chausa hoard andAluara bronzes from Bihar.

Jainism spread here and there all overTamil Nadu duringSangam Age. One of theTamil literature, called Paripadal (பரிபாடல்), probably belongs to 3rd century, mentions that there were propelling statues sculptured in stone for different deities in the temple of God Murugan inThirupparankundram. One among them was Jain statue. Others are Kaaman-Rathi (the deities of Love), Deity Indra (the king of so-called Heavenly people according toIndian mythology), Agaligai (wife of Saint Gaudham), andBuddha.

Kalugumalai Jain Beds near Madurai belongs to one century latter is to be compared with Thirpparankunram Jain sculpture.In addition a propelling stone statue of a Jain monk mentioned in Tamil literature is also present.Cave inscriptions in Brahmi script of Chera kings in Pugalur probably one century earlier to that of the literature we have taken to our consideration, names some of the Jain Monks vs Yatrur Senkayapan, Pittan, Kotran. Pittan and Kotran are the chieftains of Tamil Nadu also mentioned in Tamil literature more or less to the same period.

Lohanipur torso found in a central Division ofPatna, ancientPataliputra, dates back to 3rd century BCE.^[12] Some of the oldest Jain sculptures excaved atKankali Tila are in theGovernment Museum, Mathura.^[13]Many Jain sculptures are kept inGovernment Museum, Chennai.^[14][15]

The oldest Jain sculpture in theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York is of theSiddhaBahubali.^[16]

A Buddhist image can be in one of severalmudras. However the Jain tirthankara images can only be in one of the two format. In Padmasana, the statues of aJina and aBuddha can be similar. The Buddha statue has folds of the cloth on the upperbody, with cloth behind the left arm, where as the Jina statue is without clothes, unless it is a Shwetambara image which shows "kandora" folds.

• 
  Toluvila statue Buddha fromAnuradhapura, 5th Century CE, Colombo
• 
  Lord Neminatha (Akota Bronzes 7th century)
• 
  Rishabhanatha 5th Century CE, fromKankali Tila

• 
  TirthankaraNeminatha Sculpture,National Museum, New Delhi, 11th Century
• 
  108 feet (33 m) statue ofTirthankara Rishabhnatha atPalitana
• 
  Four Fold Jain Image 1st CenturyKankali TilaMathura
• 
  Idol of Bahubali at Shree Pragat PrabhaviParshwanatha Jinalaya,Dabhoi,Gujarat
• 
  Rishabhanatha,Mathura Museum, 6th century
• 
  Converted image ofParshvanatha
• 
  Suparsvanatha,Norton Simon Museum, c. 900 CE
• 
  11th centuryTirthankara statue in kayotsarg Mudra found during the excavation atGambhu

• 
  A 10th century CE idol of Parshvanatha from Patan, Gujarat
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  Rishabhanatha, Parshvanatha, Neminatha, and Mahavira, LACMA, Uttar Pradesh, circa 600
• 
  Parshvanatha,Art Institute of Chicago, 6th century
• 
  Image of Bade Baba (Rishabhanatha) atKundalpur
• 
  Parshvanatha, 600-700
• 
  Neminatha, 7th C,Akota Bronzes
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  Rishabhanatha, 800-900
• 
  Jaintirthankara,Cleveland Museum of Art, 10th century
• 
  Idol ofRishabhanatha Decorated with Flowers & Ornaments as perŚvetāmbara Rituals at Kangra Śvetāmbara Jain Tirth

• 
  Naigamesha,Mathura Museum, 1st-3rd century CE
• 
  Jain Family Group, 6th century
• 
  Ambika, 6th century
• 
  Gomukha, c. 8th century
• 
  Padmavati, 10th century,Metropolitan Museum of Art
• 
  Yaksha Sarvahna, c. 900,Norton Simon Museum

• 
  17.4 m (57 ft)Gommateshwara statue atShravanabelagola, 10th century
• 
  The 16 m (52 ft) statue of Neminath atTirumalai, the tallest Jain sculpture in Tamil Nadu
• 
  Rishabhanatha statue atGopachal Hill,Gwalior Fort, 58.4 feet (17.8 m)
• 
  Rock cutTirthankara statues atGopachal Hill,Gwalior
• 
  Shantinatha Statue at 9.8 m (32 ft)Shantinath Jinalaya,Shri Mahavirji
• 
  31 ftstatue of Lord Vasupujya at Champapur, Bhagalpur
• 
  Munisuvrata statue at 8.23 m (27.0 ft)Shantinath Jain Teerth

• Lohanipur torso
• Akota Bronzes
• Chausa hoard
• Thirakoil
• Jain architecture
• Jain temple

• Pereira, José (1977),Monolithic Jinas,Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 0-8426-1027-8
• Cort, John E. (2010) [1953],Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History,Oxford University Press,ISBN 978-0-19-538502-1
• Zimmer, Heinrich (1953), Joseph Campbell (ed.),Philosophies of India, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd,ISBN 978-81-208-0739-6{{citation}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Olivelle, Patrick (2006).Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE. Oxford University Press. p. 399.ISBN 9780199775071.
• Das, Kalyani (1980),Early Inscriptions of Mathurā
• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1995),Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects in Honour of Dr. U.P. Shah, Abhinav Publications,ISBN 9788170173168
• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1987),Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana: Jaina iconography, Abhinav Publications,ISBN 978-81-7017-208-6

• Guy, John. "Jain Sculpture". InHeilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.online (January 2012)

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