Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c11.s4.14

c11.s4.14

*U-shaped mark*.—This symbol has been designated as a Vaishṇavite *tilaka*, and has been taken to represent the Vaishṇavite influence in Gujarāt. This U-shaped *tilaka*, however, appears in Western Indian miniatures as early as the 12th century and Vaishṇavism does not seem to have anything to do with it. As early as the beginning of the Christian era, there was a decorative pattern known as the *tilaka-ratna*⁹⁴, described in the commentary as a head-mark. In the architectural pieces recovered from the great Jain Stūpa at Mathurā, this symbol is the same as the *triratna* symbol of the Buddhists. It is made of two *makaras* joined with their heads with a rosette inside. This original motif underwent certain changes in the course of time, the *makaras* losing their animal character at every step till the symbol becomes roughly W-shaped. There is little doubt that the U-shaped *tilaka* in Western Indian miniatures is a further abbreviation of this symbol, and does not carry any religious significance, though in the very early times it is possible that the symbol was imbued with some sacred character.