Artwork Page for Jain Temple, Calcutta

Details / Information for Jain Temple, Calcutta

Jain Temple, Calcutta

c. 1890s

A. W. A. Plâté Studio

(Ceylonese)
Culture
Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, 19th century
Medium
platinum print
Measurements
Image: 28.8 x 24.2 cm (11 5/16 x 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 28.8 x 24.2 cm (11 5/16 x 9 1/2 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
Credit Line
Jo Hershey Selden Fund 2009.13
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

With the rise of Calcutta (now Kolkata) as an urban center in the 1800s, a jeweler named Rai Badridas Bahadur Mookim (1833–1913) relocated there from the northern Indian city of Lucknow, along with many other Jain merchants. He ordered the construction of this temple, studded with colored glass, dedicated to the 23rd Jina Parshva. It was completed in 1867. His portrait sculpture is seen from behind in the forecourt, under the domed pavilion.

The annual festival of Paryushan is celebrated at this temple, where manuscripts—especially of the Kalpa-sutra—are displayed, carried in processions, and read aloud to the congregation.
A vertically oriented platinum print depicts an ornate temple with a multi-tiered tower. In the foreground, a courtyard with swirling patterns leads to a staircase. To the left, a domed shrine houses a seated figure. Centered, the temple entrance features scalloped archways flanked by statues. Numerous small, pointed towers line the roof. To the right, a low patterned wall borders the courtyard, while palm trees stand against a pale sky.

Jain Temple, Calcutta

c. 1890s

A. W. A. Plâté Studio

(Ceylonese)
Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, 19th century

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