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
Figs. 139-140 illustrate a hitherto unpublished Vijnaptipatra written from Jodhpur in V.S. 1882 = 1825 A.D. This is a good specimen of Jodhpur painting of the first quarter of the nineteenth century. It is preserved as no. 200 in Dehlā no upāśraya, Ahmedabad (Cat. no. 559).
Two interesting Vijnaptipatras written at Sojat in Marwad, near Ajmer and Beawar, present to us beautiful paintings done at Sojat in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries A.D. One in the Dehlā no upāśraya, Ahmedabad (DA no. 201) was written in V.S. 1895 = 1838 A.D. (Cat. no. 561). 107 The other, more beautiful and written in c. 1750-1800 A.D., is illustrated here in figs. 150, 151, 152 and 141. Figs. 151-152 show details of fig. 141. Paintings of this scroll may be compared with the paintings of the Upadeśamālā of Sirohi school earlier published by Moti Chandra and U.P. Shah.108 Even though the settings of Upadeśamālā stories are different, a certain relation is obvious in the treatment of horses (fig. 152) and the male and female figures. This Sojat Scroll is a beautiful specimen of art, there are obvious attempts at shading. Animal and human figures in various actions are vividly portrayed. This scroll needs chemical treatment to bring to light the beauty of original shades of colours used. However, a certain joy of life and grace and delicacy can be observed in these figures which have a charm of their own and the treatment of human figures is superior to that in the Upadeśamālā manuscript. Age of this scroll may tentatively be regarded as latter half of the eighteenth century A.D. Painting of Sojat awaits further exploration.
In fig. 150, we find red background, the Jaina monk wears a white caddar and a pinkish dhoti, his body is painted greyish. The Śrāvaka (Jaina lay worshipper) wears white turban and a white jāmā with gold used in borders etc. The Śrāvaka next to him wears a pink jāmā and a greenish turban. Of two more Śrāvakas in the next row, the first one wears a yellow jāmā and greenish turban with red dots and golden decorations, his body colour is brown. The next figure of brown complexion wears a green jāmā.
107 Unfortunately we could not photograph it. 108 New Documents of Jaina Paintings, Colour pls. XI-XIV and figs. 62-74.
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