APPENDIX : A ®he Vidyadhara-s C x o Vidyadharas : To convince Vasudeva of the noble origin of Princess Kilajasa who had attracted the attention of Vasudeva in the guise of a matamga maiden Queon Hirannavati tells the story of the genesis of the Vidyadhara race of which Nami and VinawL were tiie founders^. The story tells that Nami and Vinaiai who hailed from the family of Usabha were not present at the time when Usabha, before his renunciation, distributed his kingdom among his hundred sons. After coming to know of the distribution, both the princes attended Usabha v;hile he was practicing penance, vri.th deep devotion and a conviction that the lord would give them their share in some form, though it was pretty late. Dharana the lord of serpents, seeing the futility of their service but at the same time pleased with their devotion towards the lord, gi-w»e them the over lordship of the two rows of mt. Veyaddha. as it WdS not possible to t ascend these on foot, he bestowed upon them loves which enabled them to fly in the air. He also advised them to T bring with the help of lo/es, people from various r countries, as their subjects. The various loVes which wer| 1. Vh(P), 163-64. 42-1 wielded before them by the Gamdhavvas and Pannagas were r fotty eight thousand in number and included lo/es like Maharohini, Pannatti, Gori. Vi.i;nutnai and others. ’T' After the investiture of loVes, Nami and Vinami ft* M got constructed Aahaneuracakkavala and other forty nine cities on the southern slope, of Veyaddha and Gaganavallaha and fifty nine on the nothern slope, respectively. For these cities, citizens were brought from different countries (janavaya) after which the new countries on Veyaddha were named. The princes also divided their subjects according to the loH*es they wielded into different nikayas. Such T - sixteen nikayas named after the loj^es were : (i) Gorika, (ii) Manupuvvaga, (iii) Gamdhara, (iv) Manava, (v) Kesigapuvvaga, (vi) Bhumitumdaga, (vii) Mulaviriya (viii) Samkukka, (ix) Pamduga. (x) Kalageya, (xi) Mayamga (xii) Pawaeya, (xiii) VairLsalaya, (xiv) Pamsumuliga, (xv) RukkhamvTytliya and (xvi) Kalakesa. These sixteen nikayas were divided into two groups of consisting of eight nikayas (vibhatta atthaatta ya nikaya). In every city of the Vidyadhg.ra kingdom the image of lord Usabha along with that of the respective deity of the loyes (vi.i.iahivai) was consecrated in the general assembly hall (Sabha). C2.'X This, however, never meant that Vid~/adharas T* ] had a sort of ■, rjoropoly over the magical loi^es . These 2 were within the reach of Jaina monks , and sometimes even of thieves^. The division of the Vidyadharas into various - r nikayas according to the lo'/es they mastered, has also been' referred to in the Vh(M). In fact Dharmasena gani, the author of the Vh(M), refers to the passage of the Vh(P) t I which is called ^Padhamellfcaga Kamda^ , He, however, misinterprets the passage. As seen earlier, the sixteen Vi.lianikayas were divided into two groups, each one of which comprised eight nikayas. Dharmasena gani enumerates eight nikayas as Gorika, Gamdharika, Manaviyaka, Kesigapuvvaga ShumituiTidaga, Mulaviriya and Samkuya - the eighth one missing - and says that the Vh(P) gives a sub-division of each one of these eight nikayas into eight nikayas and thus 1. Any magical loi^e,erg. of controlling a serpent was called vijja; Vh(P),125. 2. ?h(P), 12g; JambusajJi, even before becoming a monk, was r having some lo^e. 3. VhlB*),7; a sefvant in the palace of king, Vairasena could fly in the air; Vh(P}, 173. 4. Vh(M), 1.126. making the number of nikayas to sixty four^. fhe sixty four groups according the author of the Vh(M)had different emblems and ways of practising ai;Isterities for the Y . ^ 2 acquirement of loVes (vi.1.1 ana puraccaranavihi) . Some of the glimpses of the life of Vidyadharas can be noted in the Vh(P) and the Vh(M). As noted earlier the Vidhadharas formed themselves into various nikayas. These nikayas as can be seen from the story of Nila.jasa played an important role in the kingdoms of the Vidyadharas. The elders in the nikayas (nikaya vuddha) in cases of disputes even royal families were referred to as judges. A dispute pertaining to matrimony was taken to the ^elders and their judgement on the matter was taken to be final^. The Vh(M) also refefs to the assembly where a OVeY Vidyadhara king presiding a Sabha of the Vidyadharas solved disputes brought before the Sabha. Such a sabha has been described in one place as painted in white and having inside it an im.age of the god Dharana. Any one who supposed himself to be wronged, beat a drum (dheri) placed in the hall with a stick (thuna) to call the members of the 1. Atthattha bheda evam causatthi feabheda padhamellage — • « II ■■II • • I II — — ^ . 1 1 ■ «i i«» I - m • — — — ■ - - ■ ■■' ^1 - ■■ • I II I ■ Kamde ruvitar Vh(M), 1.126 2. Ibid. 3. Vh(F), IgO.lSl. assembly (sabhasada) to listen to his case and give judgement^. It has been noted elsewhere that the Vidyadharas were generally beantiful and Vasudeva was so much beautiful, that he was taken to be a Vidl^iadhara by strangers. Some information about the outward appearance of the Vidyadharas can be had from the Vh. A Vidyadhara dressed himself in such a fashion 2 that he sometimes looked like a juggler (imda.jaliya) . Vidhadhara Amitagati has been described to wear a yellow garment (^lyambara) and some ornaments^; while VidyadhaVi Mehamala, like Amitagate, was wearing only one garment (ekkavasana) of red colour (rattarrisuya) and had covered the rest of the body with sprouts of Asoka tree^’ The Vh(M) takes them virtually on par with gods (Suralogasamanabhavo-)^ Vi,1.1ahara.1ano )^the Vidyadharis have been described in one place to be so much beautiful as to create an illusion that they were nagakannas^. The dress 1. Vh(M), I.29a. 2. Vh(P), 195. 3. Ibid.; 139. 4. Ibid.; 73. 5. Vh(M),I.3. 6. Ibid.; II.232b. ( > 1 ^ S of the Vidyadhara depended on the nikaya of which he became -1 ~2 a member. Dresses of mayaniKavi.j.la and Kesiyavi.i'.la have been referred to. Vasudeva, as a Kesiya-Vi.I.jahara, wore an earring in his left ear, a crest on his head, a garland, a blue garment, and a golden necklace. He had also besmeared his body with white paste (dhavalakadamgaraga)^. The ornaments of the Vidyadhara princesses were not different from those viorn by the princesses from the royal families» A Vidyadhara princess has been described as wearing a sprout of Rattasoa■ r ^ f on the ear as a --kannapura, —‘---- ' fragr^jnt flowers in her mass of hair, and a tilaka of gold on the forehead^. One detail, very characteristic about the Vidyadharas and to be noted in the sculptures, is the way of their flying in the 'air. The Vidyadharis have been described as putting their hand round the neck of their beloveds (Kamthavalaggae) or as putting the hand on the shoulder of their partner^ after resting on his loins (Kakumdare). Vidyadhara-couples are depicted in a similar way in indian sculpture of contemporary period. 1. Vh(M), II.26a, 2. Ibid.r II.110b. 3. Ibid.r 4. tbid.r II2b.3a. 5. fbid.-r II.26b. 6. Ibid.^ I.23ar C2.4 In the story of Nami and Vinami of the Vh(P) given above it has already been made clear that the Vidyadharas worshipped Usabha, and Dharana, the king of Nagas. In the sejne story it is related how after attaining conciousness, Amitagati bathes in a pond and pays salutations in the direction of xvorth^'; it is not made clear in the story as to whom he adored by such an act. Reference is also made to a Vidyadhara couple which visited the mt, Sammeta to 2 pay reverence to Jaina monks , The Vh(M) gives more details about the festivals celebrated by the Vidyadharasr Vidyadharas celebrated an atthahiya-mahima on the slmanaga mountain in celebration of Y r investiture of the lot-es. The lo-/os, according to the Vh(M), were first given on this mountain (vi.i.ja-padhamapayana-bhumi The description of the celebration of this festival is similar to that of the mahakomudi celebration held in S a v a tth iT Another festival was that held in honour of Samjayamla the king of serpents (i.e. Dharana) the confluence of five 1, ?h(P), 139; See also the story of Jayamta and Samjayamtaj Vh(P), 251-253. 2. Ibid.r 214-15. 3. Vh(M), I 26a; The VhlP) f.163-64 which describes the incident of the invL-stiture does not refer to the place. G2q rivers (pamcanadi-Samgama)^« Still another was held on mt. Harikuda in honour of monk Hari, whose nisihiya was on this mountain, and^j^Jinaraadana. The Vidyadharas are said to have iiv worshipped regularly a pool resided^by a naga deity. The story behind this tradition was that in ancient times there was a king by name Sarrmadadeva. He, at the end of his career, deposited his magical sword and shield with the naga deity. He also asked the deity to give his weapons to the ’hero’ (uttamapurisa) who worshipped the pool Vasudeva, in the Vh(M), is described to have got them^. As is clear from the story of Gamdhavvadatta, the Vidyadharas were human beings (manussamitta) and still could have contact with gods and demi-gods, As the Vidyadharas joined the gods in their praise of Vinh^ikumara, Tumburu and Narada were very much pleased with them, as a result of which they were bestowed vath proficiency in music (gamdhavva)^.