Background
The love story of Mādhavānala and Kāmakandalā is full of events and has a rather intricate plot involving many characters. It is not distinctly Jain in character. Rather, it belongs to the folk literature heritage of western India and is known in many different versions.
Jain monks, who are fond of all types of stories, have copied the tale many times and are therefore partly responsible for spreading it around India. It is a story with a rich pictorial tradition. This manuscript is noteworthy for the number of paintings it includes and for their vivid style.
The author of this version is the Śvetāmbara Mūrtipujak monk Kuśalalābha Upādhyāya, who wrote it in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in 1560 CE (1617 VS). He was affiliated to the Kharatara-gaccha, one of the most numerous monastic orders in Rajasthan.
Glossary
- Source:
The British Library Board
- Shelfmark:
Or. 14687
- Author:
Kuśalalābha Upādhyāya
- Date of creation:
composed in 1560, this copy created in perhaps 18th to 19th centuries
- Folio number:
104 recto
- Total number of folios:
117
- Place of creation:
western India
- Language:
Rajasthani / Gujarati in Devanāgarī script
- Medium:
opaque watercolour on paper
- Size:
20 x 14.5 cms
- Copyright:
CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)
- Image Copyright:
Mādhavānala and Kāmakandalā story
- Source:
The British Library Board
- Shelfmark:
Or. 14687
- Author:
Kuśalalābha Upādhyāya
- Date of creation:
composed in 1560, this copy created in perhaps 18th to 19th centuries
- Folio number:
104 recto
- Total number of folios:
117
- Place of creation:
western India
- Language:
Rajasthani / Gujarati in Devanāgarī script
- Medium:
opaque watercolour on paper
- Size:
20 x 14.5 cms
- Copyright:
CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)
- Image Copyright:
