Jinamanjari 1999 09 No 20

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 70

Jinamañjani, Volume 20, No.2, October 1999
BOOK REVIEWS
Jainism: A Pictorial Guide To The Religion of Non-Violence. Kurt Titze. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas (41 U.A. Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi-11007, India) ISBN 81-208-1534-3, , pp. i-xi; 267, photos and sketches 351. Price: Rs.2500.00.
This sumptuous volume written by the German author Kurt Titze is a pictorial account of various Jain monuments in most of the regions of the Indian sub-continent. Along with the material presented by the author, there are significant contributions by such noted scholars as Vilas A. Sangave, Jyoti Prasad Jain, Klaus Bruhn, Noel King and others.
The book serves as an excellent guide for lay people who have the urge to learn about many of the Jain sites, caves, monuments, temples, etc. in India. Their distribution by state all along the subcontinent gives an integrated approach of the visible evidences of Jain dharma from the beginning up to the present. Besides, the Jain monuments the author has added three more chapters on social tradition, social and charitable organizations, symbols, mantras and parables, as well as music and dance in Jainism. To convince the readers about the impact of Jainism two more items have been included -- Jain temples in Europe and Jaina dawn in the West.
The treatise has a rich collection of photographs -- both black and white, and colour -- plans of sites, maps and land sketches of approachable roads numbering over three hundred and fifty-one. It is quite apparent from this presentation that Jainism did not lag behind in either the number or quality of sites in comparison to it Buddhist contemporaries.
Although the book is of archaeological import, it also contains a valuable message. To paraphrase Vilas Sangave's statements in the opening chapter, Jainism is not simply an apuraseya or belief in some god or the other, but one of human origin that had emanated from the mouth of the Jina, a victor who secured omniscience and liberation through his own efforts. This book is a visual documentation of the voice of Mahavira as it was preserved through time. It is a beacon of light for flashing the message
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