Background
Glossary
Description
Other visual elements
The bottom of the right margin contains the number 6. This is the folio number. The original paper has been pasted onto a new base. As with many Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts, there is a clear intention to make the manuscript a valuable and remarkable object in itself. This aim is signalled by the:- use of gold in the paintings, margins and ornamental motifs
- decorated border with blue floral motifs
- three diamonds filled with gold ink and surrounded by blue ornamental motifs.
Script
The elaborate script is Jaina Devanāgarī, which is here like calligraphy. It is used for writing numerous Indian languages, here Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit. There are a few notable features of this script, which:- is an old type in the way the sounds e and o are notated when used with a consonant, known as pṛṣṭhamātrā script
- contains red vertical lines that mark out verse divisions, with a single line dividing a verse in two while double lines are found at the end of the verse.
- Source:
Victoria and Albert Museum
- Shelfmark:
IS 46-1959
- Author:
unknown
- Date of creation:
late 15th to 16th centuries
- Folio number:
6 verso
- Total number of folios:
91 folios, numbered 1-92, with folio 3 missing
- Place of creation:
Gujarat
- Language:
Prākrit with Sanskrit commentary
- Medium:
watercolour on paper
- Size:
26 x 10.5 cm
- Copyright:
V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Image Copyright:
- +
- aAbhavya
- aAbhinandana
- aAbhiṣeka
- aĀcāra
- aĀcārāṅga-sūtra
- aĀcārya
- aAchalbhrata
- aAḍhāī-dvīpa
- aAdharma
- aAdho-loka
- aAdhyayana
- aAdvaita Vedānta
- aĀgama
- aAghātīya
- aAghātīya-karman
- aAgnibhuti
- aAgra
- aĀhāra
- aAhiṃsā
- aAhimsa Day
- aAjita
- aAjīva
- aAkampit
- aĀkāśa
- aAkbar the Great
- aAkṣaya-tṛtīyā
- aAlauddin Khalji
- aAlbert Einstein
- aAllah
- aAlms
- aĀlocanā
- aAloka-ākāśa
- aAmāri
- aAmbikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī
- aAnagāra
- aAnanta
- aAnarthadaṇḍa
- aAnaśana
- aAnekānta-vāda
- aAṅga
- aAniconism
- aAnojjā
- aAntarāla
- aAntarāya-karma
- aAṇu
- aAṇu-vrata
- aAnukampā
- aAnuprekṣā
- aAnusvāra
- aApabhraṃśa
- aAparigraha
- aAra
- aĀrambha
- aĀrambhaja
- aĀratī
- aArdhamāgadhī Prākrit
- aArhaṃ
- aArhat
- aArśana-āvaraṇīya-karma
- aĀrta-dhyāna
- aĀryikā
- aĀryikā Jñānamati
- aĀśātanā
- aĀścarya
- aAscetic
- aAsceticism
- aAshram
- aAspiration
- aĀsrava
- aAṣṭa-maṅgala
- aAṣṭāpada
- aAstikāya
- aAstrolabe
- aAsura
- aAtheism
- aAticāra
- aAtiśayakṣetra
- aAtithisaṃvibhāgavrata
- aĀtma-vāda
- aĀtman
- aAuṃ
- aAurangzeb
- aAuspicious
- aAusterity
- aAvadhāna
- aAvadhi-jñāna
- aĀvaraṇī-yakarman
- aAvasarpiṇī
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- bBhāṣya
- bBhaṭṭāraka
- bBhāva
- bBhāva-pūjā
- bBhāvanā
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- bBhavya
- bBhavyatva
- bBhaya
- bBhoga-bhūmi
- bBhogopabhoga
- bBodhi
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- bBrahmā
- bBrahma-deva
- bBrahmacārī
- bBrāhmaṇa
- bBraj Bhāṣā
- bBright fortnight
- bBritish Raj
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- cCakreśvarī
- cCāmara
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- cCanon
- cCāritra
- cCāritramohanīya-karman
- cCarũrī
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- cCaturvidha-saṅgha
- cCaturviṃśati-stava
- cCāturyāma
- cCE
- cCelibacy
- cCha
- cChadmastha
- cChastity
- cCheda-sūtra
- cChristian
- cChristianity
- cClergy
- cCloning
- cColophon
- cCommentary
- cConch
- cConfession
- cCongregation
- cConsecration
- cCosmology
- cCremation
- cCrore
- cCult
- cCūrṇi
- dDādā-guru
- dDalit
- dDāna
- dDaṇḍa
- dDark fortnight
- dDarśana
- dDarśanamohanī-yakarman
- dDaśa-lakṣaṇa-parvan
- dDeity
- dDelhi Sultanate
- dDerāsar
- dDeśāvakāśika-vrata
- dDetachment
- dDevanāgarī
- dDevānandā
- dDevarddhi-gani
- dDevotee
- dDhamal
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- dDhāra
- dDharma
- dDharma-dhyāna
- dDharma-sāgara
- dDharmastikaya
- dDhātakīkhaṇḍa
- dDholak
- dDhyāna
- dDiaspora
- dDig-vrata
- dDigambara
- dDīkṣā
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- dDoctrine
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- dDrone
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- dDuṣamā-suṣamā
- dDveṣa
- dDvīpa
- eEast India Company
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- eEkānta-vāda
- eEkendriya
- eElder
- eElders
- eEschatology
- eEtc up to
- fFarmān
- fFast
- fFatehpur Sikri
- fFestival
- fFestschrift
- fFiruz Shah
- fFly-Whisks
- fFolio
- fFour Noble Truths
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- gGuṇa-vrata
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- gGuru
- gGuruṇī
- hHagiography
- hHajj
- hHaṃsa
- hHaribhadra
- hHariṇaigameṣin
- hHasta
- hHeresy
- hHiṃsā
- hHindi
- hHindu
- hHinduism
- hHīravijaya
- hHoroscope
- hHrīṃ
- hHumayun
- hHymn
- iIconoclasm
- iIconography
- iIdol
- iIndian Independence
- iIndology
- iIndra
- iIndrabhūti Gautama
- iIndriya
- iInitiation
- iIntercession
- iInvocation
- iIQ
- iIslam
- iIslamicate
- iIṣṭadevatā
- iĪśvara
- jJagat
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- jJames Burgess
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- jJarā
- jJāti
- jJina
- jJina-āgama
- jJina-bhavana
- jJina-bimba
- jJina-mātā
- jJinacandra-sūri
- jJinadatta
- jJinaprabha
- jJīva
- jJñāna
- jJñāna-āvaraṇīya-karma
- jJñāna-āvarṇiya
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- kKarma-vāda
- kKarmon
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- kKathā
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- kKāyotsarga
- kKeśa-loca
- kKetu
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- kKevalin
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- kKnowledge
- kKriyā
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- kKṣullaka
- kKulakara
- kKundakunda
- kKunthu
- lLabdhi
- lLaity
- lLakh
- lLāñchana
- lLands of Action
- lLaukāntika
- lLavaṇa-samudra
- lLeśyā
- lLiṅga
- lLinguistics
- lLoka
- lLoka-ākāśa
- lLoka-puruṣa
- lLoka-vāda
- lLotus
- lLotus lake
- mMadhya-loka
- mMahā-videha
- mMahā-vrata
- mMahābhārata
- mMahāmastakābhiṣeka
- mMāhārāṣṭra
- mMāhārāṣṭrī Prākrit
- mMahattarā Yākinī
- mMahāvīr Jayantī
- mMahāvīra
- mMakāra
- mMakkhali Gośāla
- mMalli
- mMāna-stambha
- mManaḥ-paryāya-jñāna
- mMaṇḍala
- mMaṇḍapa
- mMandit
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- mMantra
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- mMohandas Gandhi
- mMohanīya-karma
- mMokṣa
- mMonastic order
- mMonasticism
- mMonk
- mMonotheism
- mMosque
- mMount Meru
- mMount Sammeta
- mMṛgāvatī
- mMughal
- mMuhammad
- mMuhammad bin Tughlaq
- mMuhpattī
- mMūla-sūtra
- mMūlaguṇa
- mMumbaī
- mMuni
- mMunisuvrata
- mMurad Bakhsh
- mMūrti-pūjaka
- mMuslim
- mMysticism
- nNābhi
- nNāga-kal
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- nNāgarī
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- nNamaskāra-mantra
- nNami
- nNandīśvara-dvīpa
- nNandivardhana
- nNandyāvarta
- nNāraka
- nNāraki
- nNasalisation
- nNātha
- nNavrātrī
- nNaya-vāda
- nNemi
- nNidāna
- nniggaṃthāṇa vā 2
- nniggaṃtho vā 2
- nNigoda
- nNihnava
- nNikṣepa
- nNirgrantha
- nNirjarā
- nNirvāṇa
- nNiryukti
- nNiṣidhi
- nNitya
- nNiyati
- nNo-kaṣāya
- nNudity
- nNun
- oOcean of milk
- oOmniscience
- oOrdination
- ppa°
- pPadmaprabha
- pPadmāsana
- pPadmāvatī
- pPādukā
- pPalanquin
- pPalette
- pPañca-muṣṭi
- pPāṇḍava
- pPaṇḍit
- pPandit Dalsukh D. Malvania
- pPandit Sukhlalji
- pPāṇipātra
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- pParyāya
- pParyuṣaṇ
- pPaṭa
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- pPersian
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- pPratimā
- pPratiṣṭhā
- pPratyākhyāna
- pPratyakṣa
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- pPrayer
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- pPreach
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- pProtestant
- pProvenance
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- pPukharavara-dvīpa
- pPuṇya
- pPūrva
- pPuṣkara-dvīpa
- pPuṣpadanta
- pPyre
- qQur’an
- rRāga
- rRāhu
- rRainy season
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- rRajasthani
- rRājimatī
- rRajoharaṇa
- rRajput
- rRāma
- rRāmāyaṇa
- rRangoli
- rRās-garbā
- rRasa
- rRathanemi
- rRatna-traya
- rRātri-bhojana
- rRaudra-dhyāna
- rRecto
- rRelic
- rRenunciation
- rRetroflex
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- rRite
- rRosary
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- %Ṛṣabhanātha
- rRupee
- sSaciyā Mātā
- sSādhu
- sSādhvī
- sSāgāra
- sSaint
- sŚaivaism
- sŚaka-saṃvat
- sSallekhanā
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- sSamādhimaraṇa
- sSamaṇi
- sSāmarambha
- sSamavasaraṇa
- sSāmāyika
- sSaṃbhava
- sSamiti
- sSaṃjñā
- sSaṃkalpaja
- sSaṃsāra
- sSamudghāta
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- %Ṣaṭ-jīvanikāya
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- sSeven fields of donation
- sShah Jahan
- sShantidas Jhaveri
- sShrine
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- sSiddha-śilā
- sSiddhacakra or Navadevatā
- sSiddhānta
- sSiddhārtha
- sSiddhi
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- sŚīla
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- sSkandha
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- sŚrāvakācāra
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- sŚrī
- sŚrīvatsa
- sŚruta-jñāna
- sŚruta-pañcamī
- sSthānaka-vāsin
- sSthāpanācārya
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- sSthavira
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- sSulasā
- sSultan
- sSumati
- sSundarśrī
- sSupārśva
- sSūri
- sSuṣamā
- sSuṣamā-duṣamā
- sSuṣamā-suṣamā
- sSūtra
- sSuyam me ausam! Tenam bhagavaya evamakkhayam
- sSvādhyāya
- sSvāhā
- sSvastika
- sŚvetāmbara
- sŚvetāmbara Terāpanthin
- sŚvetāmbaras
- sSwan
- sSyād-vāda
- tTabla
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- tTāraṇ Svāmī Panth
- tTattva
- tTattvārtha-sūtra
- tTemple
- tTemple-city
- tThe Enlightenment
- tTheology
- tThree worlds
- %Ṭīkā
- tTilaka
- tTīrtha
- tTīrthaṃkaranāma-karman
- tTīrthankara
- tTransliteration
- tTrasa
- tTrasa-nāḍī
- tTriśalā
- tTriṣaṣṭi-śalākā-puruṣa-caritra
- tTti bemi
- tTughlaq
- tTunk
- uUdumbara
- uUniversal History
- uUpādhyāya
- uUpāṅga
- uUpaniṣads
- uUpāsaka
- uUpasarga
- uUpāśraya
- uŪrdhva-loka
- uUtsarpiṇī
- uUttarādhyayana-sūtra
- vVāhana
- vVaimānika
- vVairāgya
- vVaiṣṇava
- vVaiśramaṇa
- vVaiśya
- vValabhī
- vVanaspatikāya
- vVandana
- vVaṇik
- vVarṇa
- vVāsudeva
- vVāsupūjya
- vVayubhūti
- vVeda
- vVedanīya-karma
- vVegetarianism
- vVehicle
- vVernacular
- vVerso
- vVidyā
- vVidyā-devī
- vVihāra
- vVijñapti-patra
- vVikrama-saṃvat
- vVikṛti
- vVimala
- vVinaya
- vVipāka
- vVirji Vora
- vVirodhaja
- vVīrya
- vVisarga
- vViṣṇu
- vVītarāga
- vVizier
- vVotive
- vVow
- vVrata
- vVS
- vVyakta
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- vVyasana
- yYakṣa
- yYakṣī
- yYantra
- yYaśoda
- yYaśovijaya
- yYati
- yYātrā
- yYoga
- yYoginī
- yYojana
Description
The caption in the upper left corner says: Iṃdrasabhā – ‘Indra’s court’.
On the left a large figure with four arms is seated on a raised throne. He carries a trident in one of his hands and a thunderbolt – vajra – in another. Facing him are three smaller figures.
The larger figure is the god Indra, known as Śakra among Śvetāmbara Jains. He is the lord of the heaven of Saudharma, home of many gods. The text describes his retinue, number of palaces and so on. The three figures are deities who are his attendants.
Śakra is aware through a special variety of knowledge that Mahāvīra has entered the womb of the brahmin lady, Devānandā.
The long protruding eye is a typical feature of western Indian painting. Its origin is unclear.
Other visual elements
The bottom of the right margin contains the number 6. This is the folio number.
The original paper has been pasted onto a new base. As with many Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts, there is a clear intention to make the manuscript a valuable and remarkable object in itself. This aim is signalled by the:
- use of gold in the paintings, margins and ornamental motifs
- decorated border with blue floral motifs
- three diamonds filled with gold ink and surrounded by blue ornamental motifs.
The three golden diamonds along the central horizontal plane are symbolic reminders of the way in which manuscripts were bound at one time. Strings through one or more holes in the paper were used to thread together the loose folios so the reader could turn them over easily. The shapes are in the places where the holes would once have been.
Three diamonds mean a verso side.
Script
The elaborate script is Jaina Devanāgarī, which is here like calligraphy. It is used for writing numerous Indian languages, here Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit.
There are a few notable features of this script, which:
- is an old type in the way the sounds e and o are notated when used with a consonant, known as pṛṣṭhamātrā script
- contains red vertical lines that mark out verse divisions, with a single line dividing a verse in two while double lines are found at the end of the verse.
The lines in smaller script above and below the main text and in the margins are explanations in Sanskrit of phrases found in the central part. The two small parallel lines like slanted = after the words are meant to separate the explanations.