Jain Spirit 2004 10 No 20

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 55

ART & LITERATURE 53
relationship between the Lord Krishna and his devotees. The painters of Nathdwara still produce the pichhawais of Shrinathji using their own pigments from coloured stones and plants of various kinds. They are usually placed behind the main image in the central shrine. Pilgrimage was also an important practice for Buddhists. Adherents came from all over the Buddhist world to the sites associated with the life of the Buddha or where relics of the Buddha were found. Jain yantra paintings are not as elaborate as Buddhist mandalas or thangkas from Nepal or Tibet. The basic principles of the configuration as well as the symbology are the same in all the religious traditions. They all are displayed at certain festivals. The principal purpose of these is to calm the devotee's mind and detach him or her from the chaos and disorder of the outside world. Jain painted material is usually divided into two main categories: tantric and non-tantric Works in the first category include the diagrams known as yantras, which are visual representations of the mantras and are specific to certain deities. Tantric patas are normally presented in square, rectangular or circular format; they contain geometrical diagrams with seated Jina figures, yakshas and yakshis or devis. Sometimes Jambudvipa, Lokapurusha or Samavasarana (halls of the universal sermon) are shown. Often the date of execution, detail of donation and names of the benefactors are written on the body of the pata. The non-tantric patas contain chitrapatas, which depict a number of different subjects from the cartographic representation of the places of pilgrimage - tirth patas, pictorial diagram banners such as vijnaptipatra (letter of invitation or request); kshamapana patrikas (letter of pardon) and chitrakavya (pictorial poetry). These are excellent sources of information about the contemporary social life and culture of the period. Pata paintings have to go through four stages of preparation. Traditionally,
khadi or hand woven cotton cloth is used. Firstly, a thick coating of rice or wheat flour paste is applied on the cloth so that all the fine holes in the cloth are sealed. When it is completely dry, it is polished with the help of a stone muller or burnished with an agate stone. Once it is smooth and ready, the artist would begin his work by sketching in red ochre. A skilled artist works without reference to any sketches, reproducing the familiar compositions and figures that comprise this popular art. When the layout is complete he fills it with different colours and ends it with gold and silver. The finished article is varnished to protect it from dirt and damp. Most of the surviving pata paintings range from the 14th century. By the 18th century. pilgrimage paintings had assumed gigantic proportions, some as big as 30 feet. Very few older pata paintings have survived due to their perishable nature and the very poor storage facilities in the temples. Tirth patas or pilgrimage banners depict the centre of pilgrimage. The most popular patas are of Satrunjaya, Palitana, where one of the sons of the first Tirthankara, Rishabhnath achieved omniscience; Girnar in Gujarat, where Neminath attained Nirvana (moksha); Sammet Shikhar in Bihar where twenty of the Tirthankaras attained Nirvana and Ashtapada in the Himalayas where Rishabhnath attained Nirvana. They are all located on picturesque hilltops, which are difficult to access but are situated in the best natural surroundings suitable for meditation. It is customary for Jains to visit the tirth of Satrunjaya at least once in their lifetime for the attainment of spiritual wisdom. For those who are unable to visit the holy place, the Jains have created a tradition of displaying tirth patas in the temples. On the day of Kartik Purnima, a full moon day in the bright half of the month of Kartik (October-November), thousands of devotees visit and worship the pata, which is especially taken out during this day. In this way they also acquire good karma. Wealthy Jain families
commission the paintings of such tirth patas, mainly on cloth, wooden panels and in plasterwork on temple walls. These pata paintings depict rivulets, small temples, Jain monks and nuns, Jain devotees in their palanquins, animals and birds that one comes across in the course of the pilgrimage. The path is shown in yellow connecting the main temple complex of Adinath. The rugged terrain of the sacred mountain is conveyed by coloured, overlapping scale-like shapes, occupied by animals and ascetics performing severe penances in the forest. The devotees are shown in their garb, which can also give some indication of the period in which the pata was painted. It is related in Jain literature that the five Pandava brothers attained salvation on these hills. A temple at Satrunjaya contains their marble images and this fact is depicted in most of the pata paintings. The monumental pata painting in the Berlin Museum Fur Indische Kunst depicts the cartographic overviews of the Satrunjaya pilgrimage site. The size is 303 x 196 cms and was made in Rajasthan during the 19th century. A large number of people are shown on the pata, bringing the whole painting to life, almost conveying an experience of the actual pilgrimage. In ancient India, art often had a very practical purpose - it was not created to be admired in museums or collected by wealthy individuals. Often, it was used to convey a rich and meaningful experience to as many people as possible. In many ways, it was one of the highest forms of charity as beauty was created, replicated and shared often with the utmost humility. Art has the ability to bring out such values and enable us to share them with one and all.
Raju Sobhag Shah is a volunteer at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the Indian and South East Asian Department images courtesy of Museum Fur Indische Kunst Staatliche Museum Zu Berlin
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