The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 20, 2026

Two horizontally oriented palm-leaf strips with fragmented edges and diamond-shaped holes feature red vertical bands dividing panels of black script and illustrations. On the top strip, one panel shows two seated figures in white robes facing right, while another depicts two standing figures in patterned garments facing left. The bottom strip consists of dense black script. The weathered, light brown material serves as a backdrop for the ancient ink and tempera work.

Folio 167, from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya: two nuns teaching lay women (recto); genealogical text (verso)

1278

Western India, Gujarat, Palanpur

(Prahladanapura)
Gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
Overall: 5.4 x 32.1 cm (2 1/8 x 12 5/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1971.126
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The year occurs in the fourth line, to the right of the nuns.

Description

This page is from the end of a manuscript, which contains two texts often paired together, the Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya. The latter tells a story about a Jain teacher who used magic to overthrow an evil king. The lay women who listen reverently to the nuns’ teaching may be the donors who paid for the creation of the manuscript.
  • Sanghavina Padano Bhandar, Patan, India
    ?–1971
    (Sander L. Feldman, Washington, DC, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1971–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, with contributions by Shridhar Andhare and others. The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1994. Reproduced: cat. no. 80, p. 93, 200-201.
    Brown, W. Norman. The Story of Kālaka: Texts, History, Legends, and Miniature Paintings of the Śvetāmbara Jain Hagiographical Work, the Kālakācāryakathā (with 15 Plates). Washington, DC: Lord Baltimore Press, 1933. Mentioned: p. 120; Reproduced: p. 121, plate 3, figs. 7 and 8
    Nawab, Sarabhai Manilal. Jain Paintings: Paintings on Palm-Leaves and Wooden Bookcovers Only. vol. I. Ahmedabad: Messrs Sarabhai Manilal Nawab, 1980. p. 20, see especially note 19, figs. 71 and 72
    Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. Mentioned: p. 7, cat. no. 1vii.
  • The Peaceful Conquerors: Jain Art from India. New Orleans Museum of Art (June 29-September 17, 1995); Victoria and Albert Museum (November 22, 1995-February 18, 1996).
  • {{cite web|title=Folio 167, from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya: two nuns teaching lay women (recto); genealogical text (verso)|url=false|author=|year=1278|access-date=20 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1971.126