A Jina renounces
This highly decorated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is provided by the National Gallery of Australia. A young man performs the rite of keśa-loca – ‘pulling out of the hair’ – which indicates indifference to the body. It is part of the initiation ceremony of dīkṣā, in which an initiate renounces the world and becomes a mendicant. He is watched by Śakra, king of the gods who takes an active role in the lives of the 24 Jinas.
https://searchthecollection.nga.gov.au/object/177852?keyword=177852&includeParts
A Pinnacle of Spirituality
A Pinnacle of Spirituality: the Inspirational Life of Shrimad Rajchandra. Written by a follower of Śrīmad Rājacandra, the book tells the life story of the 19th-century mystic, writer, and provides quotations from Gandhi on his friend Raichandbhai. A. Pinnacle of Spirituality was created in 2001 as part of a series of events to mark the century since Shrimad Rajchandra’s passing away and was translated from the original work in Gujarati by Dr Kumarpal Desai. The online English version and down loadable Gujarati version is available on the Shree Raj Saubhag website.
Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 1
This short YouTube video from 2011 captures part of a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the first of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the next part.
Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 2
This short YouTube video from 2011 captures a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the second of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the next part.
Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 3
This short YouTube video from 2011 captures part of a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the third of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the final part.
Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 4
This short YouTube video from 2011 captures part of a procession in the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya, in Gujarat. Chanting ‘Adinath’, the devotees are probably on their way to the main Adishvar temple, which is dedicated to Ṛṣabha. The first Jina, he is also known as Ādinātha or First Lord.
This is the last of four brief videos of the procession. You can watch the first part.
Alexander Walker biography
A Scots-born soldier and administrator in the East India Company, Alexander Walker (1764–1831) was one of the first Westerners to distinguish between Jains and Hindus. His son donated his collection of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts to the Bodleian Library in Oxford. This entry from volume 59 of the Dictionary of National Biography (1885–1900) appears in Wikisource.
Altarpiece of Ṛṣabha and other Jinas
The Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, USA, provides a zoomable image of Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first Jina, surrounded by all the other Jinas. The brass altarpiece is finely made, depicting the Jinas sitting in meditation, with symbols of high spiritual and worldly status emphasising their positions at the pinnacle of the Jain faith. The photograph can be enlarged to see more detail.
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/142507?search_no=2&index=10
Animation of Śālibhadra
The first part of the story of Śālibhadra is presented as an animation on YouTube, uploaded in 2012. In this part of the tale, the young boy Sangama offers alms to a Jain monk, which is one of the key episodes in the story. The story of Śālibhadra is a Jain favourite that underlines the importance of lay Jains giving alms to mendicants.
Anointing a Jina statue
A statue of a Jina is ceremonially anointed during the festival of Dīvālī, the ‘Festival of Lights’ which marks the new year. For Jains the main celebration at Dīvālī is the commemoration of the liberation of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra. A ‘head-anointing ceremony’ – mastakābhiṣeka – is a rite performed for any Jain image. Sanctified fluids are poured over the head of the statue, accompanied by a mantra or hymn. The sacred bath is at the centre of all Jain image rituals and can be performed daily in the morning ceremony or during festivals and pilgrimages. This photo on Flickr was taken in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in October 2009.
Aṇuvrat Movement – Anuvibha
A description of the Aṇuvrat Movement is provided by the Anuvrat Global Organization, which is frequently known as Anuvibha from its name Hindi, Anuvrat Vishva Bharati.
Archaeological Survey of India – history
The Archaeological Survey of India was set up in 1784 by Sir William Jones in Calcutta. It began publishing the Asiatick Researches journal in 1788, which publicised the results of surveys of historical sites and monuments in India.
Article on the 2006 anointing of Bāhubali
Maura Moynihan’s article ‘The Power of Prayer’ describes an American photographer’s experience of the 2006 ‘great head-anointing ceremony’ – mahā-mastakābhiṣeka – of the enormous statue of Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. The article appears in the March 2006 issue of the Smithsonian magazine, available on the Smithsonian website.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-power-of-prayer-111939407/
Ātmavāda
Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha summarises the Jain doctrine of the soul in her 2007 book An Introduction to Jainism, provided on the HereNow4U website.
Auṃ-hrīṃ yantra
A 16th-century cloth maṇḍala features the composite seed mantra at its centre, which combines the sacred syllables of hrīṃ and auṃ – also known as oṃ. This colourful maṇḍala also contains numerous other auspicious symbols, including a pair of eyes, Jinas and deities. The auctioneer Christie’s provides this zoomable photograph on its website.
Ayodhyapuram temple
This 2009 photo on Flickr shows the recently built temple of Ayodhyapuram in Vallabhipur in Gujarat, which is dedicated to R̥ṣabha. Taking an innovative design, the temple houses a very large statue of the first Jina in the lotus position, which weighs around 23 tonnes.