Shreyansanatha: The Rhinoceros Emblem of the Eleventh Tirthankara
AURYN Editorial
Shreyansanatha is the eleventh of the twenty-four Jain Tirthankaras, the "ford-makers" who showed the way across the cycle of rebirth. In temples and museums he is recognised by the rhinoceros at the foot of his image, part of the system of emblems described in our guide to the twenty-four emblems.
The rhinoceros
Both Jain traditions give Shreyansanatha the rhinoceros. Jainpedia illustrates the emblem at the foot of an image of Shreyansanatha at Sarnath, near Varanasi, a site sacred to Jains as his birthplace as well as to Buddhists. The emblem identifies him; Jain texts do not attach a separate moral lesson to the animal, so modern interpretations of the rhinoceros as strength or steadfastness are best treated as personal readings.
