Treasures of Jaina Bhandaras

Author(s): Umakant P Shah, Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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face and body are concerned. On folio 2 of this ms. we have a miniature with red background, divided into two panels, the upper showing an ācārya teaching his pupil, full of life and expression, and in the lower a śrävaka and a śrāvikā humbly attending to the discourse with folded hands. The modelling of the faces of the teacher and the taught in this miniature is nearer to the style of the famous Subāhu-kathā on the one hand and the Jesalmere palm-leaf Kalpa-sutra no. 82 (6) on the other. The red-complexioned figure of Padmavati on folio 239 of Vivekamañjari follows the style of the figure of Sarasvati on folio 240 just discussed. The Jina figure on folio 1 is also a good specimen. The lustrating elephants on top are painted green.
Notes on Art
Moti Chandra has discussed in detail the miniatures of Subahu-katha, dated - 1288 A. D.25 Several characteristics of these miniatures, including facial types, love of nature, etc., are later found continued and developed in the paper manuscript of Mahapurana in the Digambara Jaina Naya Mandir collection, Delhi. They are somewhat manifest in the Jesalmere palm leaf Kalpa-sutra no. 82 (6) just referred to (colour plate I, figs. B and C). The problem requires further investigation. It may only be noted here that the Subahu-katha seems to represent a "school" or "sub style" by itself.
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Of this period is also the miniature of Sarasvati from Santinātha-CaritaMahākāvya (Cat. no. 399, p. 63), from Cambay Bhandara no. 201, copied in c. early fourteenth century V. S., i. e., in c. 1270-80 A. D. A ms. of the Uttaradhyayana dated in V. S. 1347 1290 A. D., now in Hemacandrācārya Jñana-bhaṇḍāra, Patan, no. 27, was copied in Patan itself and has three illustrations now badly damaged. No. 85 of Sri Santinatha Bhandara, Cambay, is manuscript of the Uttaradhyayana-sutra with Sukhabodha-vṛtti (Cat. no. 407, p. 65 where we have described some of its miniatures) containing a neatly executed miniature painting of Gaṇadhara Sudharma with Jambukumāra and Prabhava on folio 1 (figure 18).26 Another miniature from this ms., illustrated in fig. 19, represents the four-fold Jaina Sangha in devotional attitude. Besides the miniatures noticed on Cat. p. 65,
25 Moti Chandra, ibid. pp. 30-31, figs. 50-53; Nawab, Jaina Citrakalpadruma, I, pp. 40-41, figs. 52-59. 26Two miniatures from this ms. were published by Shah, U. P., More Documents of Jaina Paintings, figs. 17 and 17 A.
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