Gomukha

Gomukha
Gomukha, c. 8th century, Gurjara-Pratihara
Genealogy
Spouse	Chakreshvari

Gomukha is the guardian god or Yaksha (attendant deity) of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara. Gomukha's iconography is closely connected with that of Rishabhanatha. His bull face and the bull associated with him correspond to the bull emblem (lanchhana) of Rishabhanatha. In Digambara iconographic texts, Gomukha may additionally bear a dharmachakra on his head.

Legacy

Worship

Gomukha along with Dharanendra is the most popular yaksha in Jainism. As the attendant yaksha of Rishabhanatha, Gomukha commonly appears in sculptural representations associated with the first Tirthankara rather than exclusively as an independent deity.

Iconography

According to Jain tradition, Gomukha is depicted as a two or four armed yaksha. As the name suggests, Gomukha has the head of a bull. The iconographic descriptions of Gomukha vary between Jain texts and between the Digambara and Śvētāmbara traditions. He is generally golden in colour and is represented with a bull's face. His vahana is variously prescribed as a bull or an elephant.

Digambara texts describe Gomukha with four arms and associate him particularly with the bull. His attributes include an axe, citron, rosary and the varada (boon-giving) gesture; a dharmachakra may be represented above or on his head.

Śvētāmbara descriptions differ in some of the attributes and in the choice of vehicle. These variations are also reflected in surviving sculpture, which does not always conform strictly to the prescriptions of the iconographic texts. Images of Gomukha occur in two principal forms: as comparatively large, independent figures and as smaller attendant figures accompanying images of Rishabhanatha. The latter form is more common.

The yaksha-yakshi pair sculptures of Gomukha–Chakreshvari are one of the favoured attendant pairs, along with Ambika–Sarvanubhuti and Dharanendra–Padmavati. The association of Gomukha and Chakreshvari corresponds to their respective positions as the yaksha and yakshi of Rishabhanatha.

Sculptural representations

Gomukha is represented at a number of important medieval Jain sites. Klaus Bruhn discusses Gomukha in connection with the extensive sculptural programme of the Jain temples at Deogarh, where attendant deities form part of the iconography surrounding the Jinas.

The image of Gomukha yaksha in the Ellora Caves is noteworthy. At Ellora, Gomukha forms part of the elaborate programme of attendant deities represented in the Jain caves. José Pereira discusses these representations in his study of the iconography of the Jain monuments at Ellora. A Gomukha image from Gandhari in the former Gwalior State provides an example of variation from the textual iconographic prescriptions. The figure carries attributes including a staff and an axe, illustrating the differences that can occur between prescribed and surviving representations.

Relationship with Rishabhanatha

The visual characteristics of Gomukha deliberately reinforce his association with Rishabhanatha. Rishabhanatha's identifying emblem is the bull, while Gomukha is characterised by a bull face and may himself have a bull as his vehicle. The dharmachakra assigned to Gomukha in Digambara texts provides an additional iconographic connection with Rishabhanatha. These shared symbols explain why Gomukha frequently occurs as a miniature attendant in sculptural representations of the first Tirthankara.

See also

• Dharanendra
• Chakreshvari
• Padmavati
• Ambika
• Rishabhanatha
• Yaksha

• 
  Gomukha at Dadabari, Mehrauli
• 
  Gomukha at Trilok Teerth Dham
• 
  Gomukha at Shri Atma Vallabh Jain Smarak

See also

• Dharanendra
• Chakreshwari
• Padmavati
• Ambika

References

Source

• Bhattacharyya, B. C. (1974). The Jaina Iconography (PDF) (2nd ed.). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 67–68.
• Campbell, James M. (1884), Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Dháwár, Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, vol. 22, Bombay: Government Central Press
• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1987), Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana: Jaina iconography, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 978-81-7017-208-6
• Tiwari, Dr. Maruti Nandan Prasad (1989), Ambika in Jaina Art and Literature, Bharatiya Jnanpith
• Kelting, M. Whitney (2009), Heroic Wives Rituals, Stories and the Virtues of Jain Wifehood, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780190452865
• Pereira, Jose (1977), Monolithic Jinas: The Iconography of the Jain Temples of Ellora, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 9788120823976
• Bruhn, Klaus (1969), The Jina-Images of Deograh, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Institute of South Asian archaeology
• Shah, Umakant Premanand (1995), Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects in Honour of Dr. U.P. Shah, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 9788170173168