The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Jain Temple, Calcutta

Jain Temple, Calcutta

c. 1890s
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.)
Location: not on view

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.
  • Text and Image in Southern Asia​ (Indian Painting and Himalayan rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26, 2022-March 5, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Jain Temple, Calcutta|url=false|author=A. W. A. Plâté Studio|year=c. 1890s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2009.13