{{short description|Ninth Tirthankara in Jainism}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox deity | type = Jain | deity_of = 9th Jain Tirthankara | image = Suvidhinath Kakandi.jpg | caption = Idol of Tirthankar Suvidhinath at Kakandi Tirth | venerated_in = Jainism | other_names = Suvidhinatha | symbol = Crocodile | color = White | father = Sugriva | mother = Rama (Supriya) | height = 100 bows (300 meters) | age = 200,000 purva (14.112 quintillion years) | tree = | predecessor = Chandraprabha | successor = Shitalanatha | birth_place = Khukhundoo, Deoria | moksha_place = Shikharji | dynasty = Ikṣvākuvaṁśa }} {{Jainism}} In Jainism, '''Pushpadanta''' ({{langx|sa|पुष्पदन्त}}), also known as '''Suvidhinatha''', was the ninth Tirthankara of the present age (''Avasarpini''). According to Jain belief, he became a siddha and an arihant, a liberated soul that has destroyed all of its karma.
==Life and legends== According to Jain tradition, Pushpadanta (also widely known as Suvidhinatha) is venerated as the ninth {{lang|sa|tirthankara}} of the present cosmic age ({{lang|sa|avasarpini}}).{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=40}}{{sfn|Tukol|1980|p=31}} Jain universal history states that he was born into the ancient Ikshvaku dynasty to King Sugriva and Queen Rama in the city of Kakandi, which is identified with modern-day Khukhundoo in Uttar Pradesh.{{sfn|Natubhai Shah|2004|p=16}}{{sfn|Tukol|1980|p=31}} His birth is traditionally observed on the fifth day of the {{lang|sa|Margashirsha Krishna}} month of the lunisolar Jain calendar.{{sfn|Tukol|1980|p=31}} Within the expansive framework of Jain cosmology, texts attribute to him a symbolic lifespan of 200,000 {{lang|sa|purvas}} and a physical height of 100 bows (dhanushas).{{sfn|Wiley|2009|p=240}}{{sfn|Finegan|1952|p=190}}
A significant theological milestone attributed to Pushpadanta in Jain narratives is his re-establishment of the four-part monastic order ({{lang|sa|sangha}}) originally founded by Rishabhanatha.{{sfn|Jaini|1998|p=30}} After ruling his kingdom, traditional accounts describe him renouncing worldly attachments to become an ascetic, eventually attaining omniscience ({{lang|sa|Kevala Jnana}}).{{sfn|Natubhai Shah|2004|p=16}} Following his period of preaching, he ultimately achieved liberation from the cycle of rebirth ({{lang|sa|moksha}}) on the sacred peaks of Mount Shikharji in modern-day Jharkhand.{{sfn|Cort|2001a|p=23}}
Pushpadanta is said to have been born 90 {{lang|sa|crore sagara}} after his predecessor, Chandraprabha.{{sfn|Finegan|1952|p=190}} His successor, Shitalanatha, is said to have been born 9 {{lang|sa|crore sagara}} after him.{{sfn|Finegan|1952|p=190}}
==Iconography== In Jain art and sculpture, Pushpadanta is traditionally depicted in a meditative posture and is distinctly identified by his white physical complexion.{{sfn|Titze|Bruhn|1998|p=250}} He is explicitly recognized by his unique iconographic emblem, the crocodile or alligator ({{lang|sa|Makara}}), which is typically carved or stamped onto the pedestal beneath his idols.{{sfn|Umakant P. Shah|1987|p=143}} As with all {{lang|sa|tirthankaras}}, he is depicted alongside his dedicated guardian deities ({{lang|sa|Shashan-devatas}}). According to both the {{lang|sa|Digambara}} and {{lang|sa|Śvētāmbara}} traditions, his accompanying male guardian deity ({{lang|sa|yaksha}}) is Ajita.{{sfn|Umakant P. Shah|1987|pp=143–144}}{{sfn|Tandon|2002|p=44}} However, sectarian texts differ regarding his female guardian ({{lang|sa|yakshi}}), with the {{lang|sa|Digambara}} sect identifying her as Mahakali and the {{lang|sa|Śvētāmbara}} sect identifying her as Sutaraka (or Sutari).{{sfn|Umakant P. Shah|1987|pp=143–144}}{{sfn|Tandon|2002|p=44}} ==Temples and legacy== As the ninth {{lang|sa|tirthankara}}, Pushpadanta is venerated across the Indian subcontinent.{{sfn|Dundas|2002|p=40}} The ancient site of Kakandi (modern Khukhundoo in the Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh), traditionally identified in Jain universal history as his royal birthplace, serves as a significant historical and geographic center for his worship.{{sfn|Tandon|2002|p=45}} The Kakandi Jain Tirth remains an important pilgrimage destination that commemorates his early life and renunciation.{{sfn|Tandon|2002|p=45}} Furthermore, marking the geographic site of his ultimate spiritual liberation, a dedicated shrine ({{lang|sa|tonk}}) enshrining his footprints ({{lang|sa|charan}}) is actively venerated by pilgrims on the peaks of Mount Shikharji.{{sfn|Cort|2001a|p=23}}
==See also== {{commons cat}} *God in Jainism *Jainism and non-creationism
==References== ===Citations=== {{reflist|30em}}
===Sources=== * {{citation |last=Cort |first=John E. |author-link=John E. Cort |title=Jains in the World : Religious Values and Ideology in India |url={{Google books|PZk-4HOMzsoC|plainurl=yes}} |year=2001a |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-513234-2 }} * {{citation |last=Dundas |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Dundas |title=The Jains |url={{Google Books|X8iAAgAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}} |edition=Second |date=2002 |orig-year=1992 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-26605-X |location=London and New York }} * {{citation |last=Finegan |first=Jack |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ae4nAAAAYAAJ |title=The archeology of world religions |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1952 }} * {{citation |last=Jaini |first=Padmanabh S. |author-link=Padmanabh Jaini |title=The Jaina Path of Purification |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wE6v6ahxHi8C |date=1998 |orig-year=1979 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=Delhi |isbn=81-208-1578-5 }} * {{citation |last=Shah |first=Natubhai |title=Jainism: The World of Conquerors |url={{Google Books|qLNQKGcDIhsC|plainurl=yes}} |volume=I |date=2004 |orig-year=First published in 1998 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=81-208-1938-1 |ref={{sfnref|Natubhai Shah|2004}} }} * {{citation |last=Shah |first=Umakant Premanand |author-link=Umakant Premanand Shah |title=Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana: Jaina iconography |url={{Google books|m_y_P4duSXsC|plainurl=yes}} |date=1987 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=81-7017-208-X |ref={{sfnref|Umakant P. Shah|1987}} }} * {{citation |last=Tandon |first=Om Prakash |author-link=Om Prakash Tandon |title=Jaina Shrines in India |publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India |isbn=81-230-1013-3 |date=2002 |orig-year=1968 |edition=1 |location=New Delhi }} * {{citation |last1=Titze |first1=Kurt |last2=Bruhn |first2=Klaus |title=Jainism: A Pictorial Guide to the Religion of Non-Violence |url={{Google books|loQkEIf8z5wC|plainurl=yes}} |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |edition=2 |year=1998 |isbn=978-81-208-1534-6 }} * {{citation |last=Tukol |first=T. K. |title=Compendium of Jainism |publisher=University of Karnataka |year=1980 |location=Dharwad }} * {{citation |last=Wiley |first=Kristi L. |title=The A to Z of Jainism |url={{Google books|cIhCCwAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}} |date=2009 |orig-year=1949 |volume=38 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6337-8 }}
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Category:Tirthankaras Category:Solar dynasty
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