More Documents of Jaina and Gujarati Paintings

SR No.: 001562
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Umakant P Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1976
Total Pages: 76
Language: English
Classification: Book_English & Art
File Size: 15 MB

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yantra, 34 and painted for a Jaina monk of Kharatara gaccha, it shows representations of Ganesa and Brahmanical gods also.
This pața was painted in Gujarāt, probably in a centre like Ahmedabad or Patan and is a very beautiful example from which are illustrated here in figs. 30-31-32 some painted portions through the courtsey of Dr. John Irwin of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The pata was originally in possession of a gentleman in Palanpura, North Gujarat.
of the new discoveries from the collection of late Muni Sri Punyavijayaji, are the miniatures in a paper manuscript of Satruñjaya-māhātmya, written in V. S. 1525= 1468 A. D. (figs. 35, 35a). The typical figures of Ganesa in fig. 35a is noteworthy. The type may be compared with that of the Ganesa in Vijaya-yantra (fig. 30) painted in V. S. 1504=1447 A. D.
Incidentally, one may note here the profusely illustrated Kalpa-sūtra and Kālakakathā, manuscript in the Añcala-gaccha collection at Jamnagar, painted in Pațaņ in 1558 V. S. = 1501 A. D. which is recently published by Moti Chandra and U. P. Shah in New Documents of Jaina Paintings. Fig. 34 illustrates a full page from this Kālakakathā. On the top of right margin over the head of a princely figure we find a label, 19 (g = Turkish ?) 1 Tr. Perhaps this label for the first time explains to us as to whose dress and figures were copied in the paintings of Saka king and his armies in this manuscript.
Two more texts, composed in Gujarāti by the poet Bhima, originally bound in one book form, but later the different folios separated and sold, were copied in !526 A. D. on the reliable evidence of Shri Jagdish Mittal who was fortunate in seeing the last page. One is Bhima's Gujarāti version of the Sanskrit Harilīlā-sodaśa-kali and the other a Gujarātī version of the famous Sanskrit allegorical play Prabodha-candrodaya (called Prabodha-Prakāśa in Gujarātī). A painting from each of them is illustrated here in figs. 37 and 38 respectively as contemporary examples of non-Jaina texts. The two pages are in the collections of the Oriental Institute, Baroda.
Gujarati Styles of Sixteenth and later centuries Two very interesting documents are in the collections of Agama Prabhakara Muni Punyavijayaji to whom I am indebted for the permission to study and publish them. The first is a rare illuminated paper manuscript of the Jaina canonical text Rājapraśnīya sūtra. It contains only six paintings. It is a complete text of 62 folios. The size of each folio is 25.3 x 11 cm. approximately. The miniatures are found on folios 1b, 26b, 14a, 46b, 61b and 62a respectively. Those on f. 26b and f. 46b are miniatures of the full length of the folio excluding the margins. These miniatures are unusual. Firstly, this is the only manuscript of this text so far known to have illustrations bearing upon the theme of the text. There are one or two unpublished manuscripts of this text woich are known as having illustrations, but they are the usual miniatures of
34. Basil Gray in The Art of India and Pakistan (ed. by Leigh Ashton) first published two photographs from this pața, and called it Gujarāti Painting.
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