Description

A bejewelled figure meditates in the lotus position while sitting on a throne.

This is a standard representation of a Jina in Śvetāmbara art. A Jina is always shown in meditation, either standing or sitting, like here. Among the Śvetāmbaras, the Jina is thought of as a spiritual king and is often depicted with ornaments and pictured seated on a throne.

There is no emblem in the picture to identify which of the 24 Jinas it is. However, he is named in the text as the 16th Jina, Śāntinātha or Lord Śānti.

Other visual elements

Note the lively, colourful and decorated background. When Jains worship the Jinas it is a joyful act of celebration, in which they sing hymns and play music.

Script

The elaborate script used for the main text is the Jaina Devanāgarī script. It is used for writing numerous Indian languages, here for Gujarati.

The verse numbers are written in red.

Red is also used for the beginning and for the end of the poem, which is dedicated to Śānti.