Artwork Page for Folio 141, from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya: Text (recto); Monk Holding a Flower Venerated by a Lay disciple (verso)

Details / Information for Folio 141, from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya: Text (recto); Monk Holding a Flower Venerated by a Lay disciple (verso)

Folio 141, from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya: Text (recto); Monk Holding a Flower Venerated by a Lay disciple (verso)

1287
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Western India, Gujarat

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Medium
Gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
Measurements
Overall: 5.6 x 33 cm (2 3/16 x 13 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1971.127
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Palm leaf was the preferred material for sacred texts before the 1400s in India. The text here was often appended to the Kalpa-sutra, the most sacred book of Jainism. This story concerns the life of a Jain teacher named Kalaka, a prince who developed the ability to work magic after he become a monk, inspired by the teachings of a holy man.

The painting on this page shows a monk clad in white, indicating his affiliation with the Shvetambara (“white clad”) branch of Jainism. It is the second to the last page of the manuscript and includes the beginning of the colophon, which contains information about when and where this manuscript was produced.
A horizontally oriented palm leaf manuscript features two strips with dense black script organized into columns by vertical red lines. A circular hole punctuates the center of each strip. On the lower right, a framed illustration depicts a seated figure offering a flower to a smaller kneeling person. Muted red, yellow, and green pigments color the scene, while irregular, weathered edges define the natural tan surface of the leaf.

Folio 141, from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya: Text (recto); Monk Holding a Flower Venerated by a Lay disciple (verso)

1287

Western India, Gujarat

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