Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies Vol 01 Jaina Art and Architecture

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain, Others
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 436

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Encyclopaedia of Jaina Studies
families commissioned paintings of such banners, mainly on cloth but sometimes on wooden planks, or in plaster work on temple walls and also carved in stone for displaying in and around the Jaina temples. The earlier such patas are small and square and are portable while the larger ones appear to be late. Subsequently, the size became large as it was meant to displaying in public places where large number of people could view it from a distance.
The vijñaptipatra (letter of invitation) is basically a letter of pardon known as kşamādānapatrikā (Pl. 290) by the Jainas. It is a letter of forgiveness or misdeeds committed during the past year. It is sent by a community to a monk, inviting him to spend the four months (caumāsa) of the rainy season with them. Rather being a simple letter, the vijñaptipatra takes the form of a long narrow scroll measuring about 25 to 30 feet in length and a foot wide. Being in great length the cloth scroll did not require cutting and joining. It was folded breadth-wise in two or more folds as required and the long stripes obtained by cutting served the purpose of scrolls. In earlier time when transport and communication facilities were not available, such invitations were dispatched by horse rider messengers and it took nearly six months to get a reply.
Inviting the Jaina monks to spend caumäsa at a place was considered an act of spiritual wisdom. This activity grew in western India, Gujarat and Rajasthan and therefore there was a great demand for this artefact. Scribers and painters possessed such blank scrolls having floral borders. The upper portion of the scroll was pre- painted with astamangalas (eight auspicious symbols), fourteen dreams, streets, market places, temples and some familiar Jaina mythological themes. The necessary information was written when required and the paper was signed by the respectable citizens of the town
One of the vijñaptipatras, painted on paper by Ustād Sālivāhana is a unique example of vijñaptipatra from the point of view of history of painting and socio- historic and religious importance. This pictorial chronicle
was painted at Agra in A.D. 1610 in popular Mughal style. Ustad Sālivāhana was a pataśāhi citrakāra (a painter from the imperial ateliar). It is mentioned in the vijñaptipatra "on the 26th Farwardin in the fifth year of his accession (14th April 1610), the Emperor Jahangir issued a firamāna honouring the request of pupils of Vijayasena Sūri Vivekahars, Paramānand, Mahānanda and Udayaharsa and others ordering that during the twelve days of Paryūsana there be no killing of animals of any kind in the slaughter houses of the empire. It was an event of much importance for the Jaina community. This vijñaptipatra was sent by the Jaina community of Agra to Vijayasena Sūri and residents of Devakapattana (Pātana) requesting him to grace the town of Agra with his presence during the installation of an image to be enshrined in a temple. The present farmāna and the events depicted in the vijñaptipatra point to the tolerance practices of Mughal Emperors and the relationship which existed between them and the Jaina religious community.
There are examples of patas with line drawings and writings on the figures of men, animals, weapons, flowers, snakes, circular yantras, flags etc. These are represented in a sequence against white background. These writings are poems or hymns written, drawn and composed in a sequence called bandhas (compositions) like padma bandha, khadga bandha, śarkha bandha and so on. These are read by literary men and some Jaina monks who specialize in the art of interpretation. It was difficult to understand by layman. To guide the readers in understanding the compositions they are depicted in pictorial form known as bandhas. Such patas are called citrakavya-patas.
Another type of pata is known as jñana-bāzi or jñāna-caupada (a game similar to the snakes and ladders of the modern times) has been an indoor game, among Jainas, Vaişnavas, Hindu and Muslims. The common pata is an architectural type but the other is based on the cosmological diagram of Lokapurusa. The central chequered board represents one's life divided into 84
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