This sculpted sandstone effigy represents Rishabhanatha (or Adinatha), the first of the 24 tirthankara, also known as Jain "ford-makers". Jainism, an Indian religious doctrine, recognises 24 spiritual teachers whose mission is to transmit its fundamentals across the centuries.
Rishabhanatha is sitting on a cushion in the nude, in a lotus or diamond pose (vajraparyankasana).His hands joined on his lap show the dhyana mudra meditation gesture. His stylised, regularly rolled curls partially falling on his shoulders allow us to identify him with certainty, as he is the only tirthankara with a similar style. Fully immersed into a meditative state, the jina seems to break free from secular attachments and material contingencies. His face remarkably expresses the double necessity of inner purity and of liberating asceticism contained in the stillness of his posture and face. The sculptor was able to masterfully and harmoniously combine the sobriety of Jain aesthetic standards with the refined yet radiant forms of medieval Indian sculpture from the Chandela dynasty in the 11th and 12th century.
This jina was particularly revered by the follower of the Digambara ("sky clad") school who lived in the nude and dedicated three temples to him, Parsvanatha, Ghantai and Adinath on the Kajuraho site, which was the ancient Chandela capital city.
Nearly 60 representations of this first tirthankara jina are known. Rishabhanatha can be occasionally seen standing, fully nude, but is more often shown in the very same meditative pose.
