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-JAIN ART AND ARCHITECTURE. which bears a comparison with it. Chinese Art is famous for its powerful lines. The excellence of this painting lies in the fact of its being obtained by the application of line. It has been demonostrated that this art was borrowed from India. Time may prove that the Chinese might have learnt the skill from the Jains. Like the ancient Hindu and Buddhistic paintings, the Jain ones, too were restricted to pictures of unseen subjects depicting important events of history, the deeds of saints and heroes. These paintings were confined to religious subjects and as they had a sanctity of their own, they were generally preserved both in temples and homes with great veneration. The Jains were also fond of illustrating their religions texts with paintings.
Dr. Coomarswami in bis Notes on the Jain Art says, “The Jain paintings are not only very important for the students of Jain Iconography, Archeology and as illustrating costumes, manners and customis, but are of equal or greater interest as being oldest known Indian paintings on paper." The reader will find two plates prepared from the
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