Treasures of Jaina Bhandaras

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

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Treasures of Jaina Bhandūras
in Surat is dated earlier in 1719 A.D.94 Now it must be remembered that the last folio, no. 210, of the Upadešamālā giving the date V. S. 1765 = 1708 A.D., is a replaced page, the quality of the paper is quite different from that of other folios of the text. In fact the first folio also, like the last one, is replaced. The date given in the last folio could therefore be the latest possible date when this manuscript came in possession of another monk and that the manuscript could be a few years earlier. Since the text of this manuscript, containing an old Gujarati commentary (Bālāvabodha) on the the Upadeśamālā, was composed in Surat in V. S. 1723 = 1666 A.D., it is just possible that this Upadeśamālā manuscript was painted a few years earlier than 1708 A.D., but in or immediately after 1666 A.D., and was probably painted in Surat.95 Whatever the origin of this school might have been, it is certain that Surat remained a centre of this school from almost the known beginning of this school and hance it is advisable to recognise this school as Gujarat School of (late seventeenth and/or) eighteenth century A.D. We must again emphasise that prior to India's independence and the merger of the old Sirohi State in Rajasthan, the official court language (used in State Gazetteer) of Sirohi was Gujarati. The presence of Marwari or Jodhpuri turbans in these paintings need not be an obstacle to this nomenclature since these turbans are found in miniatures painted at Surat and even centres like Ahmedabad.
Various shades of green, yellow, brown, pink, red, blue, etc. are used in the Sripala-Räsa. Jämäs of males are painted in green, pink, yellow, etc, Ladies wear blue, red or green säris. Sky is painted in light blue. Trees are in various shades
About an illustration from a Devimāhātmya dated in 1710 A.D. at Sirohi, now in the Prince of Wales Mnseum, published in New Documents of Jaina Paintings, fig. 70, it may be noted that so far as I remember only a few pages of this manuscript are in Bombay while the rest are reported to be in the National Museum, New Delhi. 95New Documents of Jaina Painting, pp. 72-73, where it was already stated : "For the present we can only say that the illustrated manuscript should date not from V. S. 1765 ( 1708 A. D.) but at least a few years earlier." It was also stated that, "Moti Chandra believes that the miniatures could not be much earlier than 1708 A.D. though Umakant Shah thinks that the last folio was possibly purposefully replaced when the manuscript came in the possession of other hands. A look at the last folio will convince that it is later replaced folio. The manuscript, according to Umakant Shah, could be about twenty-five years earlier." It may be added that the numbering of the last folio is by a different hand, that the date is written in different ink and different hand leaving some more space between two lines.
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