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Jain Art in Gujarat
Jain art flourished in Gujarat under the patronage of those who practiced Jainism. A number of Jain munis were painters of various degrees of accomplishements. Some of the artists themselves were Jains but it is certain that not all were Jains.
The form of Jain art is basically Gujarati in nature. The themes were Jain ones and the tastes of the patrons went a long way in giving it a character and identity of its own. Hence a close acquaintance with Jainism is necessary for us to understand and
appreciate Jain art in Gujarat. From time immemorial, Gujarat is known both for its natural beauty and prosperity, for its land that is very fertile, for its flowing rivers, for its green-corn fields, for moderate and and healthy climate, for its beautiful mountain ranges and for the long stretch of sea on the west. Divine personalities like Rushabhnath, Neminath and Krishna lived in Gujarat. The northern boundaries are maked by mountain ranges of Arbudachal and its vast expanses of fertile land are chequered with rivers like Saraswati, Shwabhramati (Sabarmati), Mahi, Narmada, Tapi and a host of others long and short. With the Arabian Sea in the west, Gujarat has a very long sea cost dotted with a number of natural ports that have unfortunately lost much of their operative value. Gujarat has been an excellent host to a large number of communities practising different faiths. Thus, we have Hinduism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zorastrianism, Islam, Christianity and their followers living in an atmosphere of tolerant and peaceful co-existence.
Business and commerce is in the very air people breathe here. Hence Gujarat has always been one of the most favoured destinations with traders and businessmen not only from different parts of India but also from different countries abroad. Thus trading communities of the ancient ages like Greeks, Chinese, Parsis, Gandhar, Kamboj, Malav and trading communities of the modern history such as the Dutch, the Portuguese, the French, the German, the British etc. have come to Gujarat and some of them have settled here too.
Let us now focus our attention on Jainism. The Jains have greatly contributed to the formation of the moral fibre of the people of Gujarat and their contribution in the fields of art, architecture, literature and culture can never be overestimated.
When the grip of the Mauryan empire on Gujarat became weak during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, the kingdom of Vallabhipur rose to eminence during the reign of Maharana Shiladitya of the Solar dynasty, Suryavansh. And after the fall of the kingdom of Vallabhipur, Chavada rulers of Panchasar enjoyed a considerable sway over a large part of Gujarat. Inspired by Shri Shilgunsuriji, the Chavda
24 : Jain Kashthapar Chitra
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