Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below: List I [Tirthankara] A) Adinatha B) Mallinatha C) Parsavnatha D) Sambhavnatha List II [Symbol] a) Bull b) Horse c) Snake d) Water Jar

The correct answer is Option A: Adinatha with the Bull, Mallinatha with the Water Jar, Parshvanatha with the Snake, and Sambhavanatha with the Horse. These symbols, called lanchhana, were used to identify each tirthankara in sculpture and are the key to such matching questions.

Why the others fail:

• Option B pairs Mallinatha with the Snake and Parshvanatha with the Horse. Both are reversed. The snake belongs to Parshvanatha, often shown with a seven-hooded canopy.
• Option C gives Adinatha the Horse. Adinatha's symbol is the Bull (Vrishabha), which is why he is also linked to the bull in Jain iconography.
• Option D gives Adinatha the Snake and Parshvanatha the Water Jar, which is wrong on both counts.

The core concept is Jain iconography. Lanchhanas are used in Mathura, Khandagiri and Ellora sculptures, and they help identify images where inscriptions are absent. This connects to Art and Culture for Prelims and to Mains questions on the regional spread of Jainism and its artistic traditions.

Trap: Candidates often mix up Mallinatha (Water Jar, or Kalash) with Sambhavanatha (Horse), and Parshvanatha with Mallinatha, because the symbols are all unusual. Memorise each symbol against its tirthankara, not as a loose list.