Links
- A Jina renounces
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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.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=177852&View=LRG
- A Jina sits in meditation
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The National Gallery of Australia provides this 12th-century image of a seated Jina. Under an ornate arch, the Jina takes the lotus pose of meditation. He is hard to identify without his emblem – lāñchana – but his closed eyes, unadorned figure and nudity indicate the statue was produced by the Digambara sect.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=128702&View=LRG
- 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.
- A Śvetāmbara nun descends from Shatrunjaya
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A nun from a Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjaka mendicant order runs barefoot down the steps leading down from Mount Shatrunjaya. This temple-city in Gujarat is one of the most significant Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjaka pilgrimage sites. The steep path from the foot to the summit, where the principal shrines are found, has around 4000 steps.
- Adinath procession at Shatrunjaya – part 1
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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
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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
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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
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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.
- Ahimsa
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HereNow4U provides Rudi Jansma's article discussing the principle of ahiṁsā – non-violence – and how it relates to the philosophical notions of:
- anekānta-vāda – 'truth from many viewpoints'
- naya-vāda – all views
- syād-vāda– 'assertion of possibilities'.
This article was first published in Dutch in 2005.
- Ahimsa – The Science Of Peace
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Surendra Bothara looks at the history of the Jain concept of ahiṁsā – non-harm or non-violence – and explores how this ancient principle may be applied to solve modern problems.
HereNow4U presents the online version of the third edition, published in 2008. To move to the next page of the book, click on an arrow or slide the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- Ahiṁsā (Non-Violence) & Human Rights In Indian Culture: With Special Reference To Jainism (1)
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Legal expert N. K. Jain discusses the ancient concept of ahiṁsā – non-violence – and the contemporary field of human rights in this 2006 article on HereNow4U.
Translated by Shri S. C. Jain, P. C. Jain, S. P. Jain and Smt Saroj Jain, this is the first part, with the second part also available.
- Ahiṁsā (Non-Violence) & Human Rights In Indian Culture: With Special Reference To Jainism (2)
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Legal expert N. K. Jain discusses the ancient concept of ahiṁsā – non-violence – and the contemporary field of human rights in this 2006 article on HereNow4U
Translated by Shri S. C. Jain, P. C. Jain, S. P. Jain and Smt Saroj Jain, this is the second part, with the first part also available.
- Ahimsa and Veganism
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In his 2009 article, Gary L. Francione puts forward the argument that veganism – living without any animal products – is the logical outcome of ahiṁsā, the principal Jain tenet of non-violence. Originally published in Jain Digest magazine, the online article is provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Ahimsa is not a religion… It is a way of life
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Clare Rosenfield and Linda Segall describe how the Jain principle of ahiṁsā – non-violence or non-harm – and a vegetarian diet can contribute towards world peace.
The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ahimsa/ahimsacr.htm
- Ahimsa Perspective from Jain Scriptures
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Saurabha Dalal provides some excerpts from Jain scriptures that underline the cardinal religious concept of ahiṁsā – non-violence or non-harm. One of the excerpts lists the trades which lay Jains are forbidden to practise because of the violence they involve.
The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/ahimsa/saurabh.htm
- Ahimsa: Beauty Of Life
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Gani Rajendra Vijay looks at how ahiṁsā – non-violence – is the foundation of other virtues. This article from 2007 is available on the HereNow4U website.
- Ahimsa: Nonviolence is the highest Religion
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Surendra Botha discusses the central place of the concept of ahiṃsā – non-violence – in Jain doctrine in this chapter from Introduction to Jainism by Sneh Rani Jain and Rudi Jansma. The online version of this 2006 book is provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Ajita statue with audio description
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An 11th-century sculpture of the second Jina Ajitanātha or Lord Ajita features the donors of the artwork kneeling at his feet. Carved from marble, the Śvetāmbara figure is surrounded by divine attendants, including his yakṣa and yakṣī. The Norton Simon Museum in California provides a zoomable photograph and an audio description of the statue.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=M.1998.1.S
- Akṣaya Tṛtīyā in Ahmedabad
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The DNAIndia website provides a report about the 2010 ending of the varṣītap fast in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The year-long fast is ceremonially broken on the festival of Akṣaya Tṛtīyā. Undertaken in imitation of Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first Jina, the fast ends with the taking of alms in the pāraṇā ritual, which re-enacts the first acceptance of alms. The fasters are at the centre of great public celebrations among the Jain community.
- Alexander Walker biography
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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 featuring Ananta
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The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, provides a zoomable image of a 15th-century altarpiece from Karnataka. The large figure is Anantanātha or Lord Ananta, the 14th Jina, surrounded by 13 other Jinas. An animal is visible on the base, which could be the bear, the Digambara emblem for this Jina.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1975.17.45.s
- Altarpiece of Ṛṣabha and other Jinas
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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
- Ambikā
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Image of Ambikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī from Uttar Pradesh. A very popular goddess associated with motherhood and children, Ambikā is usually depicted holding a mango and with a child, her lion vehicle nearby. She is also the female attendant deity – yakṣī – of the 22nd Jina Nemi, whose smaller figure sits above her. This zoomable photograph is on the website of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, USA.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=P.2004.01.1
- Animation of Śālibhadra
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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
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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
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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.
- Anuvrat Movement: An Analytical Study
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Subramania Gopalan, formerly a scholar at the Centre of Advanced Study in Philosophy in the University of Madras, India, discusses the Aṇuvrat Movement. This article on the Herenow4U website differs in some respects from the JAINpedia article on the Aṇuvrat Movement.
- Anuvrat: An Introduction
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The HereNow4U website provides the text of Anuvrat: An Introduction by Yuvācārya Mahāprajña. This was published in the 1985 festschrift entitled Acharya Tulsi – Fifty Years Of Selfless Dedication, which celebrated Ācārya Tulsi's 50 years as head of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanth sect.
- Archaeological Survey of India – history
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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
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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/
- Āryikā Jñānamati – Jain Triple World Research Institute
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One of the most influential women in contemporary Jainism, Āryikā Jñānamati is a Digambara nun. Her achievements and character inspired the 1974 foundation of the Digambar Jain Trilok Shodh Sansthan – Jain Triple World Research Institute – in Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh. Here described by her name in modern Hindi, Āryikā Jñānamati is profiled on the institute's website.
- Ashtakarma – Eight Types Of Karma
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Manubhai Doshi outlines the types of karma in this chapter from Essence of Jainism, first published in 1992. The online version is on the HereNow4U website.
- Ātmavāda
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Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha summarises the Jain doctrine of the soul in her 2007 book An Introduction to Jainism, provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Auṃ mantra
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The oṃ – more properly auṃ – mantra is a holy formula that assists meditation and brings good luck. It is often found in yantras, which are auspicious meditation diagrams. This 18th-century example is painted with gold and also features other auspicious figures and symbols, such as Jinas, deities and mantras. The yantra is presented on the website of lotsearch.net
- Auṃ-hrīṃ yantra
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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
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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.
- B. N. Goswamy – ‘Mental pilgrimages’
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In this 29th March 2009 article, ‘Mental pilgrimages’, B. N. Goswamy muses on tīrtha paṭas in Spectrum, the Sunday magazine of the Tribune newspaper, based in Chandigarh, India.
- Babur sees Jain images at Gwalior
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In this extract from a translation of his memoirs, the Mughal Emperor Babur describes seeing the huge statues of Jinas carved into the rock at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
Google Books provides selections from Babur Namur: Journal of Emperor Babur, published by Penguin in 2006.
This English translation by Dilip Hiro is based on Annette Beveridge’s 1921 translation. A fresh translation by Wheeler Thackston was published in 2002 by the Modern Library.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VW2HJL689wgC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA313#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Badami Jain cave temple
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This photograph on Flickr shows the exterior of the Jain cave temple at Badami in Karnataka. It is the only Jain temple of the four caves at the site, and may date back to the eighth century.
- Bāhubali in Badami cave temple
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Figure of the great Jain saint Bāhubali inside the Jain cave at Badami, northern Karnataka. The vines and creepers twining up his legs while he is deep in meditation are clearly visible. He is surrounded by attendants. Images of meditating Jinas are also set into niches in some of the ornately carved pillars within the cave.
- Bāhubali statue details
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Details of the colossus of the great saint Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola shown in this 2009 YouTube video. The serene expression of the naked statue and the plants growing round his body can be clearly seen. The granite figure, showing Bāhubali deep in meditation, has attracted countless pilgrims since its dedication in 981. Most are Digambara Jains, though Bāhubali is revered by all sects.
- Basis for the Classification of Leshya
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HereNow4U provides an extract from Transmutation Of Personality Through Preksha Meditation that discusses the categories of leśyā or soul colour. The extract takes the form of an interview with Ācārya Tulsi, the eighth leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin sect. Although he uses scripture to explain leśyās, Ācārya Tulsi considers the concept partly in the context of the 'insight meditation' – prekṣā dhyāna – of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthins, which may also be practised by those who do not follow this sect.
- Bernard Quaritch Ltd Booksellers
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History of the company Bernard Quaritch Ltd, a leading antiquarian book dealer established in 1847. He was reputed to hold the largest catalogue of Oriental books in the West, and handled the sales of books and manuscripts among scholars, collectors, universities and museums.
- Bhaktamar Mahayantra
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A 'great yantra' honouring the Bhaktāmara-stotra on the HereNow4U website. A very popular Jain hymn of praise, the Bhaktāmara-stotra is closely associated with mantras – auspicious syllables – and mystical diagrams – yantras. Reciting the mantras and meditating on the yantras is part of the Bhaktāmara-stotra worship ceremony. Each verse has developed its own mantra and yantra, but there are also yantras designed to be contemplated when chanting the whole hymn.
- Bhaktāmara temple
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The Jinalaya website provides information about the Shri Bhaktamar Bhavya Mandir in Baruch, Gujarat. The temple is dedicated to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha, and the devotional song of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. The temple houses an image of the hymn's composer, Mānatuṅga, and the 44 stanzas of the Śvetāmbara version, as well as figures of the first Jina.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara
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YouTube provides a video of the original Sanskrit Bhaktāmara-stotra, accompanied by pictures of Jina figures. The Digambara version of 48 stanzas is sung by the Rajasthani classical singer Rattan Mohan Sharma.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra – Digambara text
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The 48 Sanskrit verses of the Digambara version of the hymn are presented in Nagari and transliteration with English translation below, on a faculty private page on the Colorado State University website. The hymn is considered to be a masterpiece of Sanskrit poetry.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra – illustrated pages
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The University of Michigan Museum of Art holds pages of a Digambara manuscript which Phyllis Granoff of Yale has identified as illustrated pages of a Digambara Bhaktāmara-stotra. Her 2010 article, 'Illustrating the Bhaktāmarastotra', can be seen on the HereNow4U website.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?type=bbaglist;view=bbthumbnail;bbdbid=796751910
- Bhaktāmara-stotra – Śvetāmbara recitation
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The original Sanskrit Bhaktāmara-stotra is recited by the Śvetāmbara monk Param Pujya Vijay Bhuwan Shekhar Surishwarji Maharaj. This 2010 YouTube video contains pages of an illustrated publication of the hymn, which is a masterpiece of Sanskrit poetry.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra – Śvetāmbara text
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The HereNow4U website provides the Sanskrit text of the Śvetāmbara hymn in Nagari, English translation and word-to-word translation, accompanied by modern illustrations. There is also a glossary of Sanskrit terms.
To move to another verse, click on one of the arrows above the title or slide the button along the scroll bar.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra ceremony
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A first-hand illustrated report on the Bhaktāmara-pūjā or worship ritual, held in London in 2005, is provided on the HereNow4U website. The report and photographs show some stages of the Digambara ceremony, which is celebrated by the whole community. The Bhaktāmara-stotra is one of the few Jain hymns to be the centre of religious worship.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part four
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This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate.
This is the last of four parts of the 44-verse Śvetāmbara hymn, covering stanzas 39 to 44.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part three
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This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate. The yantras in this part begin with the svastika, ancient Asian symbol of well-being and good fortune.
This is the third of four parts of the 44-verse Śvetāmbara hymn, covering stanzas 26 to 38.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part two
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This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate.
This is the second of four parts of the 44-verse Śvetāmbara hymn, covering stanzas 13 to 25.
- Bhaktāmara-stotra worship ritual
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During the 2006 festival of Paryuṣaṇ, Jains take part in the rite of Bhaktāmara-stotra pūjā in London. This report from the HereNow4U website provides a first-hand account and pictures of the ceremony. The Bhaktāmara-stotra is one of the few Jain hymns to be the focus of ceremonial worship.
- Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology
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The Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology in New Delhi focuses on scholarly research into Śvetāmbara Jainism. With a library of manuscripts for research, it organises academic seminars and publishes scholarly books.
- Bhubaneshvar caves
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This 2010 YouTube video briefly explores presents the Jain caves at Bhubaneshvar, the capital of Orissa state. Found on top of the twin hills known as Udaya-giri and Khanda-giri, the temples house wall reliefs and sculptures.
- Bodleian Library
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The Bodleian Library is part of the University of Oxford, the official university library with various specialist libraries. It boasts extremely extensive collections of books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, musical scores, and official and personal papers, both ancient and modern. With large Jain holdings, the Bodleian is a JAINpedia partner.
- Brahmadeva
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The Jain Heritage Centres website provides this photograph of a colourful figure of Brahmadeva or Brahmayakṣa taken in a Digambara temple in Bangalore, Karnataka,. A guardian god who is also the yakṣa – attendant deity – of the tenth Jina, Śītala, Brahmayakṣa is often depicted riding a horse.
https://www.jainheritagecentres.com/jainism-in-india/karnataka/manchenahalli/
- Brass figure of Padmāvatī
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Metal image of Padmāvatī, the popular Jain goddess. Frequently depicted under a canopy of snakehoods, she is associated with wealth and success and is worshipped by both main Jain sects. She is also the attendant goddess – yakṣī – of the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva. Atop her seven-headed snake canopy sits a small figure of Pārśva, who also has his characteristic snakehood canopy. The University of Michigan Museum of Modern Art in the USA provides a zoomable photograph of the statue and metadata.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1977-sl-2.47/1977_2.47.jpg
- Brass statue of Kunthu
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A 15th-century sculpture featuring the 17th Jina Kunthunātha or Lord Kunthu and other holy figures. A zoomable image of the small metal shrine is provided by the Eastern Art Online: Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art website, a project of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK.
- British Library
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One of the JAINpedia partners, the British Library is the national library of the UK. Based in London, it holds millions of historical and contemporary documents of all kinds, including books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, musical scores and political and personal papers and letters. It also has a large collection of sound recordings and illustrations. Its collection of Jain manuscripts is one of the biggest outside India.
- British Library – India Office records and private papers
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The records of the defunct India Office are in the collections of the British Library. The India Office held the official archives of the:
- East India Company (1600–1858)
- Board of Control or Board of Commissioners for the Affairs of India (1784–1858)
- the India Office (1937–1947)
- and the Burma Office (1937–1948).
There is also material from other parts of Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa, plus personal papers from British India.
http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indiaofficerecords/indiaofficehub/
- British Museum
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One of the most eminent museums in the world, the British Museum in London has a large collection of pieces from Asia. Asian items formed part of the original 18th-century collection, the seed of the present Asia Department.
- British Museum – history of the Asia Department
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The British Museum, first opened to the public in 1759, contained many artefacts from Asia. The British Museum provides this summary of the history of the Asia Department, which has greatly expanded from the original collection.
- Cakravartin and Jain kingship
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Google Books provides John Cort's discussion of the concepts of the cakravartin and Jain kingship. Read pages 98 to 99 of this excerpt from Cort's 'Who is a King?' chapter in Open Boundaries 1998.
- Cakreśvarī
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Contemporary Śvetāmbara painting on Flickr of the goddess Cakreśvarī or Apraticakrā. She stands on her vehicle, the garuḍa or mythical eagle, and holds in two of her eight hands the disc – cakra – that gives her her name. As well as being the yakṣī – female attendant – to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha, she is a powerful goddess in her own right.
- Cakreśvarī
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Colourful image on Flickr of the goddess Cakreśvarī or Apraticakrā. In a Śvetāmbara temple, the idol sits on her vehicle, the garuḍa or mythical eagle, and holds in the top two of her eight hands the disc – cakra – from which her name derives. As well as being the yakṣī – female attendant – to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha, she is a powerful independent goddess.
- Cakreśvarī at Ellora
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The Ellora Caves project presents this photograph of an early Digambara figure of the goddess Cakreśvarī, found in cave 30 of the cave temples at Ellora, Maharashtra. The yakṣī of the first Jina, Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, Cakreśvarī's power is symbolised in the weapon of the disc – cakra – from which she gets her name.
http://elloracaves.org/caves.php?cmd=search&words=&cave_ID=30&plan_floor=1&image_ID=2656
- Cakreśvarī wearing robes
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Decorated Śvetāmbara statue of the goddess Cakreśvarī or Apraticakrā. She wears richly embroidered clothes and ornate jewellery, including a headdress. She is the yakṣī – female attendant – of the first Jina, Ṛṣabha, and has also developed into a popular independent goddess. This photograph of a contemporary image in the Dada Bari Jain Mandir, Mehraul, New Delhi, is available on Flickr.
- Calculator for VS and CE dates
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This calculator at the University of Kyoto in Japan offers a way of working out equivalent dates in various Indian calendars and the Western calendar.
- Candraprabha and spiritual attendants
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Pictures 16 and 17 on this page show a Digambara statue of the eighth Jina, Candraprabha, and his yakṣa and yakṣī. The sculpture comes from eastern India and dates back to the tenth century.
The HereNow4U website provides text and pictures from Gerd Mevissen's lecture, 'North Bengal (Ancient Varendra): An Innovative Sub-Centre of Jaina Sculptural Art'. This was delivered on 7 March 2008 at the tenth Jaina Studies Workshop, on the theme of Jaina Art and Architecture, held at SOAS in London.
- Candraprabha hymn
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A recitation on YouTube of a hymn to Candraprabhanātha or Lord Candraprabha, the eighth Jina.
- Candraprabha-svāmī statue
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The Art Institute of Chicago in the USA provides a photograph of a stone sculpture of the eighth Jina, Candraprabha-svāmī or Lord Candraprabha. Typically for a figure of a Jina, he stands in the pose of 'abandonment of the body' – kāyotsarga – which indicates deep meditation, and is flanked by a pair of attendant deities, his yakṣa and yakṣī. His nudity connects the image to the sect of the Digamabaras.
- Cave 32 at Ellora
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The five Jain caves at Ellora, Maharashtra, feature very fine examples of sculpture on the pillars and the walls, with deep reliefs depicting Jinas and other holy figures. This figure from cave 32, known as the Indra Sabha cave, is of a Jina, presented in the Digambara style. He is naked and standing in deep meditation. He is probably the 23rd Jina Pārśva, although his snakehood canopy is damaged, as this 2012 Flickr photograph shows.
- Ceiling at Ranakpur
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The ornate domed ceiling of the main hall – maṇḍapa – of the Ādinātha temple at Ranakpur in Rajasthan. The large figures are the goddesses of magical knowledge – vidyā-devīs – while small sculptures of sitting Jinas are arranged in rows around the concentric circles of the dome. The Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago in the USA provides this black-and-white photograph.
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/aiis/aiis_search.html?depth=Get+Details&id=30509
- Celebrating Mahāvīr Jayanti – part one
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First part of a lively Digambara procession arranged for Mahāvīr Jayanti in 2010, held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. This YouTube film shows the music, dancing and joyful atmosphere of many Jain festivals, which is especially demonstrated in the procession – yātrā – also called chariot-procession or car-festival – ratha-yātrā. As this festival celebrates the birth of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra, two lay people rock a model of a baby in a cradle and a boy dressed as the Jina's lion emblem walks before them. The Jain flag is carried by drummers and worn as a scarf by many festival-goers, many of whom sport crowns. The lay couple representing the Jina's parents ride in a chariot.
You can also watch the second part of the film.
- Celebrating Mahāvīr Jayanti – part two
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Second part of a lively Digambara procession in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, held to celebrate Mahāvīr Jayanti in 2010. This YouTube film shows lay people rocking a model of a baby in a cradle. Other families who have won auctions – bolīs – held among the lay community for the honour of taking leading roles in the procession ride in chariots or hold the Jain flag. Many procession participants wear badges of the Jain flag. Lay people donate money as the idol of Mahāvīra passes by on a procession float, sheltered under a large model of Mount Meru, the cosmic axis. The procession ends at the temple, where a naked monk addresses the crowds.
You can also watch the first part of the film.
- Celebration of Mallinātha’s liberation
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This YouTube video shows the anointing of the statue of Mallinātha or Lord Malli to mark the liberation of the 19th Jina. This event is one of the five auspicious events that mark a Jina’s life – kalyāṇakas. The men in orange are temple attendants, who perform many of the ceremonies in Jain temples. This ceremony takes place in the Jain Center of Northern California, in Milpitas, USA.
- Centre of Jaina Studies Newsletter
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The Centre of Jaina Studies in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), at the University of London, publishes an annual newsletter, which is available to download as a PDF. The newsletter features:
- articles
- summaries of research
- academic news
- book reviews
- reports of exhibitions
- otifications and reports of conferences and symposia.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
- Centre of Jaina Studies, SOAS
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The Centre of Jaina Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the University of London, is the only academic centre specialising in Jain research outside India. Established in 2004, the centre hosts an annual conference for scholars of Jainism and publishes an annual newsletter and the International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online). It also runs undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Jain studies.
- Chanting the Bhaktāmara-stotra
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On 20th April 2007 Jains in London spent 24 hours reciting the Bhaktāmara-stotra for the Akṣaya-tr̥tīyā festival. The hymn is one of the best-known Jain devotional songs and, like the Akṣaya-tr̥tīyā festival, is associated with Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first Jina. This illustrated report by Hina Vora is on the HereNow4U website.
- Children perform the Śālibhadra story
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This YouTube video presents the tale of Śālibhadra performed by children from the Jain Center of Northern California. This play was part of the celebrations for the 2012 festival of Mahāvīr Jayantī, which took place on the 4th April.
- Colin Mackenzie biography
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This Wikipedia article on Colin Mackenzie (1753–1821) summarises his career. As the first Surveyor General of India under early British colonial rule, he supervised detailed investigations into Indian architecture, especially in southern India.
- Contemporary sūri-mantra-paṭa
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An ornate sūri-mantra-paṭa on the Flickr website. A large golden figure of Indrabhūti Gautama, head disciple of Mahāvīra, takes the lotus position in the centre, flanked by worshippers. Rows of deities and worshippers honour him while sacred syllables and the 24 Jinas form rings around him.
This sacred object is used for ritual and meditation by Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjak monks, primarily those from the Kharatara-gaccha and Tapā-gaccha. Only top-ranking monks can use it, aiming to imitate Gautama and to harness the power of the maṇḍala.
- Damaged sculpture of Ambikā
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Damaged stone figure of Ambikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī, the Jain goddess associated with children and motherhood. A smaller image of the 22nd Jina Nemi sits in her headdress. Ambikā is his female attendant deity – yakṣī. The auction house Christie's provides notes and a zoomable photograph of the sculpture.
- Decorated figure of Brahmadeva
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The Jain Heritage Centres website provides this photograph of a decorated image of Brahmadeva or Brahmayakṣa, the attendant deity of the tenth Jina, Śītala. This Digambara image, from a temple in Bangalore in Karnataka, shows him holding weapons and riding a horse in his role as guardian god of the temple. It has been garlanded with flowers and anointed with precious substances in a recent ritual of worship.
https://www.jainheritagecentres.com/jainism-in-india/karnataka/manchenahalli/#jp-carousel-38678
- Decorated figure of Kūṣmāṇḍinī
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Free-standing stone sculpture of the goddess Kūṣmāṇḍinī or Ambikā in Shravana Belgola. She is the guardian deity of this Digambara holy place in Karnataka. This 2006 photograph on Flickr shows the statue draped with garlands of flower offerings. Kūṣmāṇḍinī is worshipped all over India and among the Jain diaspora for her associations with fertility and children, and for her protective powers. She is also the female attendant deity – yakṣī – of the 22nd Jina Nemi.
- Decorated figure of Padmāvatī
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Richly decorated statue of the goddess Padmāvatī in Leicester, England on the Flickr website. A contemporary Śvetāmbara image, the figure has flower offerings at her feet. This goddess is the female attendant deity – yakṣī – of Pārśva, the 23rd Jina. She is also a very popular individual deity, worshipped across India and among the Jain diaspora.
- Decorated idol of Mahāvīra surrounded by lights
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One of the most important Jain festivals, Dīvālī takes place over several days in late September or October. Jains commemorate the final liberation of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra. At Dīvālī, as in other festivals, statues and temples are lavishly decorated, as shown in this 2007 Flickr photograph of the statue of Mahāvīra in the Katraj temple in Pune, Maharashtra. The lights surrounding the image indicate why the festival is known as the 'Festival of Lights'.
- Definition of leśyā
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The concept of leśyā, a fundamental part of the doctrine of karma, is defined in Wikipedia.
- Descriptions of main Jain festivals
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The Jainworld website offers summaries of the principal Jain festivals.
- Devotional song to Candraprabha
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This 2011 video on YouTube features a hymn praising the eighth Jina, Candraprabhanātha or Lord Candraprabha.
- Dharmasthala Bāhubali
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A large statue of Bāhubali is found at the Hindu pilgrimage site at Dharmasthala in Karnataka. The temple management of the Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple provides information about the story of Bāhubali and Bharata and the history of the statue at the site.
https://www.shridharmasthala.org/2020/02/05/bhagwan-bahubali-paadabhisheka/
- Digambar Jain Trilok Shodh Sansthan
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Opened in 1985, the Digambar Jain Trilok Shodh Sansthan – Digambar Jain Institute of Cosmographic Research – in Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh, was founded by Āryikā Jñānamati. A centre of research into Jain cosmology, the institute publishes the Vira Jñānodaya Granthamālā series and the Samyagjñāna journal and also houses a boys' boarding school. Several temples attract pilgrims but the main draw is the large 3-D model of Jambūdvīpa, complete with a 30-metre-tall Mount Meru.
- Digambara monk takes alms from lay women
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This video on YouTube shows a Digambara monk eating alms offered by lay women. The women gather round and put spoonfuls of food into his cupped hands. He moves his thumbs quickly through it to ensure it is pure enough to eat.
- Digambara nuns pluck out their hair
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In the keśa-loca rite, part of the renunciation ceremony of dīkṣā, new monks and nuns pull out their hair, which indicates indifference to worldly concerns, including pain. Ashes are smeared on the roots of the hair, making it easier to pluck out and reducing pain. In the Digambara sects, keśa-loca is a public ceremony. This rite took place among Digambara nuns, as shown by the peacock-feather broom – piñchī – one of them holds in this YouTube video. The dīkṣā was conferred by the nun Gaṇinī Āryikā Viśuddhamati mātājī in Kota, Rajasthan, a few years ago, though the precise date is unknown. The language used is Hindi, with Sanskrit and Prakrit for recitations from the scriptures.
- Digambara sculptures from north-eastern India
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The HereNow4U website provides text and pictures from Gerd Mevissen's lecture, 'North Bengal (Ancient Varendra): An Innovative Sub-Centre of Jaina Sculptural Art'. It was delivered on 7 March 2008 at the tenth Jaina Studies Workshop, on the theme of Jaina Art and Architecture, held at SOAS in London.
- Digambaras celebrate Mahāvīr Jayanti
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This 2009 YouTube video shows a Mahāvīr Jayanti celebration in the temple in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Digambara novice monks carry an idol of Mahāvīra in the centre of a colourful procession. Lay people perform rās-garba dances with sticks. A local lay man and his wife, who ride an elephant in this celebration, play the king and queen of the gods. The annual festival commemorates the birth of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra.
- Dīvālī lights
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Dīvālī is known as the 'Festival of Lights', taking its name from a corruption of the Sanskrit term dīpa, the traditional clay lamp. Celebrated by the major Indian religions, Dīvālī always features lights on every available surface, arranged both inside and outside buildings, in the streets, around statues and altars. With different meanings for various religions, the festival commemorates the final liberation of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra, for Jains. This 2008 Flickr photograph shows dīpas in Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Doctrine Of The Soul And Re-Birth
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Ninth leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanth sect, Ācārya Mahāprajña discusses the 'subtle body' that accompanies the soul through the cycle of birth in this chapter from Philosophical Foundations Of Jainism (An Introduction). First published under the title of Jain I Darshan ke Mool Sutra, the book was translated by M. P. Lele under the guidance of Muni Mahendra Kumar ji and Muni Dulahraj ji. The translation is available online on the HereNow4U website.
Read more in the next chapter by clicking on an arrow or sliding the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- Doctrines of Jainism
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In this chapter from his 1985 book, Paul Marett uses everyday language to explain the key points of Jain doctrine, including:
- karma
- soul
- five fundamental principles
- omniscience
- liberation.
The online version is available on the HereNow4U website.
- Dreams of Triśalā
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Jainworld.com provides pictures and explanations of the dreams of Queen Triśalā. Women carrying babies who grow up to become Jinas all experience auspicious dreams, which signal the great spiritual leadership of their children. The Digambara sect specifies 16 dreams while the Śvetāmbaras have14 dreams.
- Early Jain philosophers
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In the 1998 Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Jayandra Soni briefly discusses the three Jain thinkers who influenced most later philosophers of Jainism:
- Kundakunda
- Umāsvāti or Umāsvāmin
- Siddhasena Divākara.
- Early photographs of Mount Abu
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Historical photographs of Mount Abu, popular pilgrimage site famous for its white marble temples, presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Eight auspicious symbols
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Pictures and brief explanations of the eight auspicious symbols according to the Svetāmbara sect are provided by the HereNow4U website. The explanations of some of the items are not necessarily the same as those given in JAINpedia and other sources.
- Eight auspicious symbols
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Drawings and short explanations of the eight auspicious symbols according to the Svetāmbara sect are provided by the Jain Belief website. The order of the items is slightly different from that given in JAINpedia and other sources.
- Elements of the Jain symbol
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Jainworld.com describes the meaning of the different holy elements that make up the main Jain symbol.
- Ellora caves
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The Ellora Caves website is part of an academic project to document the 34 cave temples at Ellora, Maharashtra. Most of the caves at this World Heritage Site are Buddhist and Hindu caves, with five belonging to the Jain faith. The earliest Digambara caves have been dated to the ninth century. They are famous for their detailed sculptures.
- English translations of the Sanskrit epics
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Romesh C. Dutt's abridged English translations of the ancient Sanskrit epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇas. Initially published in 1899, the poems are in rhyming couplets and are Hindu tellings of the works. Provided by the Sacred Texts website, the text can be read online or downloaded as a plain text file.
- Entrance to Jain cave temple
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The portico of one of the Jain cave temples at Ellora, Maharashtra, is captured in this 2008 photograph on Flickr. There are 34 cave temples at this site, but only five Jain temples. The Jain caves are noted for their fine carving and impressive sculpted figures of Jinas and other holy figures.
- Explaining the siddhacakra
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Lay woman Heeral Shah explains the different elements of a siddhacakra mahā-yantra. Provided by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, this video also includes a transcript.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/p/video-painting-of-siddhachakra-yantra-heeral-shah/
- Explanations of Jain symbols
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The website Namoka Tirth provides explanations for the common Jain symbols. Unexpectedly, this Digambara organisation offers the Śvetāmbara list of eight auspicious symbols.
Note that some of the website's assertions are not accepted by professional scholars because there is no indisputable historical proof. An example here is the dating of the first Jina, Ṛṣabha.
As with many Jain websites, the use of diacritics and transliterations here is inconsistent and does not meet academic standards.
- Exterior of Ellora caves
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This 2010 photograph on Flickr shows the entrance to one of the five Jain caves at Ellora, Maharashtra. The elephant is a symbol of royalty, which underlines the exalted spiritual rank of the Jinas and other holy figures depicted inside the cave temples.
- Fasting
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BBC Religions provides an overview of the religious practice of fasting among Jains, including the concept of fasting to death, called santhara or sallenkhana
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/customs/fasting_1.shtml
- Figure of a vidyā-devī
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An 11th-century carving of one of the 16 vidyā-devīs – goddesses of magical knowledge – held at the British Museum in London.
- Figure of Ambikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī
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Sculpture on Flickr of the goddess Ambikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī in the Rani Durgavati Museum, Jabalpur, in Madhya Pradesh. She is the yakṣī – female attendant deity – of the 22nd Jina Nemi, and is a protective goddess connected with children and fertility. The jewellery-bedecked statue was probably originally holding a small child on her left knee, though this part has been badly damaged.
- Five Great Monastic Vows
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Pravin K. Shah writes about the Five Great Vows taken by Jain monks and nuns. The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/5greatvows.htm
- Fourteen guṇa-sthāna
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Slideshare provides Arun Zaveri's presentation on the 14 guṇa-sthānas, first delivered in Massachusetts, USA in September 2013 as part of a lecture series during the festival of Paryuṣaṇ and Daśa-lakṣaṇa-parvan.
http://www.slideshare.net/ScientificMeditation/6-fourteen-gunasthana
- Francis Buchanan biography
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This Wikipedia entry profiles Francis Buchanan (1762–1829), who carried out extensive surveys of southern and north-eastern India during the British East India company's expansion into India.
- Francis Whyte Ellis biography
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A civil servant in the East India Company during the early colonisation of India by the British, Francis Whyte Ellis (1777–1819) became a well-known scholar in the Tamil and Sanskrit languages. This entry from volume 17 of the Dictionary of National Biography (1885–1900) appears in Wikisource.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ellis,_Francis_Whyte_%28DNB00%29
- Free Will and Karma
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N. L. Kachhara describes the interplay of karma and the mind, focusing on the issue of free will and karma in Jain thought. This 2011 article is provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Ghaṇṭākarṇa Mahāvīra
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Idol of Ghaṇṭākarṇa Mahāvīra in the Jain temple in Leicester, England, provided by Flickr. He is instantly recognisable from his characteristic pose of readying his arrow to shoot, and is increasingly popular among Śvetāmbara Jains.
- Gilt Padmāvatī
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Gilt-covered image of the goddess Padmāvatī. A powerful and popular deity, who is particularly worshipped in south India, she is associated with wealth and success. She is also the yakṣī – attendant goddess – of the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva. The Ethnoarte website provides several photographs of this 18th-century image from Maharashtra.
- Girnār temples
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Mount Girnār is a holy site for both Jains and Hindus. The numerous Jain temples dispersed over the peaks of the mountain form a small temple-city. This 2012 photo on Flickr shows some temple compounds and the city of Junagadh below.
- Gold sūri-mantra-paṭa
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This striking gold-and-black sūri-mantra-paṭa presents Indrabhūti Gautama in the middle. He sits within two triangles positioned within concentric circles, surrounded by holy figures and scenes of worship. Gautauma was the head disciple of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra, and his spirituality and leadership provide an example to which monks aspire. Such yantras are used by leaders of Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjak mendicant orders, with the Kharatara-gaccha in particular ascribing great powers to these ritual objects.
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f7/71/16/f77116fcefae48ee6c309862fc18a736.jpg
- Gomukha
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Contemporary Śvetāmbara image on Flickr of the yakṣa Gomukha. He is the male deity associated with the first Jina, Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha. Ṛṣabha's emblem – lāñchana – is a bull and Gomukha has the head of a bull, since his name means 'bull-headed'.
- Group initiation of Digambara monks – part 1
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After studying with him for four years, 25 men are initiated into Digambara monkhood by the monk Vidyāsāgar. At the start of the public renunciation ceremony – dīkṣā – the candidates resemble grooms, wearing jewels and turbans, their eyes outlined in kohl. They are then seen after the rite of keśa-loca. Dressed in orange and saffron robes, lay Jains dance in celebration. Scenes from the life of a Digambara monk are also shown, such as the monk carrying his broom and water pot, making the gesture to signal that he seeks alms. A group of fully nude monks leads the ailaka novices in loincloths, followed by the junior novices wearing white robes. Digambara nuns, wearing the white robe and holding the broom made of peacock feathers, are also shown in this YouTube video. This collective ceremony in Hindi took place on 21 August 2004 in the so-called Dayoday Tirth, Delwara Ghat, in the town of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh on the bank of the river Narmada. Watch the dīkṣā ceremony continue at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFfMGtC7zfI&NR=1
- Group initiation of Digambara monks – part 2
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As part of their group ceremony of renunciation – dīkṣā – novice monks have the last tufts of hair plucked out by their teacher Vidyāsāgar. Then they remove their clothes amid the rejoicing of the large crowd of lay Jains. As a sign of detachment from worldly affairs, public nudity is associated with advanced spirituality and is the mark of a fully-fledged monk in Digambara Jainism. Then Vidyāsāgar traces the auspicious symbols of svastikas and four dots on their heads in sandalwood paste. Found on YouTube, this collective ceremony in Hindi took place on 21 August 2004 in the so-called Dayoday Tirth, Delwara Ghat, in the town of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh on the bank of the river Narmada. Watch the next part of the ceremony at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0WeUJici30&NR=1
- Group initiation of Digambara monks – part 3
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Towards the end of their group ceremony of renunciation – dīkṣā – 25 new Digambara monks have their heads anointed with sandalwood paste. The monk Vidyāsāgar, who is initiating them, traces the auspicious symbols of swastikas and four dots on their heads and palms. Then he blesses the new monks and newly initated novices – kṣullaka – who are dressed in white. He also consecrates their water pots – kamaṇḍalu. Both groups of mendicants hold their characteristic peacock-feather brooms – piñchī. Found on YouTube, this collective ceremony in Hindi took place on 21 August 2004 in the so-called Dayoday Tirth, Delwara Ghat, in the town of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh on the bank of the river Narmada. Watch the final part at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QCfjoyWbLk
- Group initiation of Digambara monks – part 4
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At the end of their group ceremony of renunciation – dīkṣā – 25 new Digambara monks are blessed by their teacher Vidyāsāgar. He also consecrates their water pots –kamaṇḍalu – and blesses some newly initated novices – kṣullaka – who are dressed in white. Both groups of mendicants hold their characteristic peacock-feather brooms – piñchī. The new monks have ritually taken off their clothes, which is a sign of advanced spirituality in Digambara Jainism. Then Vidyāsāgar preaches to the assembly of lay Jains. White-clad nuns – āryikā – are at the front of the crowd. Found on YouTube, this collective ceremony in Hindi took place on 21 August 2004 in the so-called Dayoday Tirth, Delwara Ghat, in the town of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh on the bank of the river Narmada. Watch the first part of the ceremony at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txYBw9ke-aU
- Gujarat University
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Gujarat University, located in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, is an Indian university that runs a department of Sanskrit.
- Gujarati translation of Yogīndu’s works
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Atmadharma.com provides a PDF of Yogīndu’s Paramātma-prakāśa and Yoga-sāra in Gujarati to either read online or to download.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
http://www.atmadharma.com/shastras/parmatmaprakash_and_yogsaar_guj_scn.pdf
- Gujarati version of Samayasāra Nāṭaka
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Atmadharma.com provides a PDF of Banārasīdās’s Samayasāra Nāṭaka in Gujarati to either read online or to download.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
http://www.atmadharma.com/shastras/naataksamaysaar_guj_scn.pdf
- Hariṇaigameṣin transfers the embryo
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This rare palm-leaf page in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art comes from an early 14th-century manuscript of the Śvetāmbara scripture of the Kalpa-sūtra. The picture illustrates the episode where the antelope-headed god Hariṇaigameṣin transfers the embryo of the Jina-to-be Mahāvīra from the brahmin lady Devānandā to the kṣatriya queen Triśalā.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/131608.html?mulR=656|4
- Harsukhrai Temple
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The HereNow4U website reprints a 1945 article on the Harsukhrai Temple at Dharmapura, Delhi, also called the Naya Mandir. The article describes and provides photographs of the Digambara temple, which features verses of the Bhaktāmara-stotra. The famous hymn of the Bhaktāmara-stotra is associated with miraculous powers that come from repeating its verses, especially the name of the first Jina, Ṛṣabha.
- He Karuṇānā Karaṇārā
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This recording of He Karuṇānā Karaṇārā on SoundCloud was made by JAINpedia contributor M. Whitney Kelting as part of her fieldwork into Jain devotional practices among Jain women in western India in 2009.
- Head anointing ceremony
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The Huntington Archive at Ohio State University provides a photograph of devotees anointing a smaller image at the foot of the large statue of Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. In this 2001 photo, the pilgrims are performing a ‘head-anointing ceremony’ – mastakābhiṣeka – of a small image of Bāhubali. This rite can be carried out for any Jain image and involves pouring consecrated liquids over the head, 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.
http://huntington.wmc.ohio-state.edu/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=showThisDetail&ObjectID=30021938
- Head of Bāhubali colossus
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The Huntington Archive at Ohio State University provides this photograph of the head of the colossal statue of Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. Completed in the tenth century, the granite statue has a serene expression and elongated earlobes, reminders that Bāhubali gave up his rank as king – who wore heavy jewellery, including earrings – to seek spiritual truth. Pilgrims climb the steep hill to worship at the feet of the idol, which is nearly 18 metres tall.
http://huntington.wmc.ohio-state.edu/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=showThisDetail&ObjectID=30021935
- Henry Colebrooke biography
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The life and career of Henry Thomas Colebrooke (1765—1837), a British administrator in India, is summed up in volume 11 of the Dictionary of National Biography, 1885—1900. An accomplished scholar of Sanskrit and of Hindu literature, Colebrooke was one of the founders of the Royal Asiatic Society. His intellectual interests were extremely wide, covering mathematics, science, law, languages and religion.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Colebrooke,_Henry_Thomas_%28DNB00%29
- Henry Cousens – photographing India
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The Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago provides detailed information about some of the trips made from 1889 to 1895 by Henry Cousens (1854–1933) in British India. Accompanied by other members of the Archaeological Survey Department and Indian assistants, Cousens took photographs for survey purposes.
- Henry Thomas Colebrooke
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A portrait of Henry Thomas Colebrooke, English Sanskrit scholar, on the website of the Science Photo Library. A polymath interested in languages, religions, social customs, law, mathematics and science, he was instrumental in establishing the Royal Asiatic Society in 1823.
- Hermann Jacobi biography
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A German Indologist (1850–1937), Hermann Jacobi is one of the most important figures in Jain studies. His demonstration that Jainism had always been a separate religion and his work in studying and translating many significant Jain texts laid the groundwork for the scholarly study of Jainism as an independent academic discipline.
The HereNow4U website provides this summary of Jacobi's career, extracted from the second edition of German Indologists: biographies of scholars in Indian studies writing in German: with a summary on Indology in German speaking countries by Valentina Stache-Rosen, revised by Agnes Stache-Weiske, published in Delhi in 1990 by Max Müller Bhavan.
- Hindi commentary on ‘Paramātma-prakāśa’
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Atmadharma.com provides a PDF of a Hindi commentary on Yogīndu’s Paramātma-prakāśa to either read online or to download.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
http://www.atmadharma.com/shastras/parmatmaprakash_hin_scn.pdf
- Hindi version of Samayasāra Nāṭaka
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Atmadharma.com provides a PDF of Banārasīdās’s Samayasāra Nāṭaka in Hindi to either read online or to download.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
http://www.atmadharma.com/shastras/naataksamaysaar_hin_scn.pdf
- Historical image of the Indra Sabha cave
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The British Library website provides a 19th-century zoomable photograph of the Jain cave temple in the Ellora cave complex, Maharashtra.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/other/019pho000000040u00140000.html
- Holy symbols in worship
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Taken from the side, this 2009 photo on Flickr captures a very holy and frequently found symbol in Jain worship. Created in rice grains as part of a ceremony, the symbol is in three parts. Considered from the bottom, they are:
- a svastika representing the four parts of the Jain community and four conditions of being
- three dots representing the three jewels of Jain doctrine
- a horizontal crescent with a dot above, which symbolises the liberated soul in the siddha-śilā.
- Hutheesing temple
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Indiavideodotorg provides this brief video on YouTube showing the white marble Hutheesing temple in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Completed in 1847 by a rich Śvetāmbara merchant family, the Dharmanātha temple is probably the best-known temple dedicated to the 15th Jina. Designed by Premchand Salat, the large, ornate building contains 52 shrines but the main image – mūla-nāyaka – is of Dharmanātha or Lord Dharma.
- Hymn to Candraprabha
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This 2007 YouTube video features a Digambara monk singing a hymn – stotra – honouring the eighth Jina, Candraprabhanātha or Lord Candraprabha. The visuals show a Śvetāmbara idol of the Jina over a pulsing, colourful background.
- Hymn to Mallinatha
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This 2007 YouTube video features a Digambara monk singing a hymn – stotra – honouring the 19th Jina, Mallinātha or Lord Malli. The visuals show a Śvetāmbara idol of the Jina over a pulsing, colourful background.
- Hymn to Māṇibhadra
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This 2012 video on YouTube video shows images of the Śvetāmbara deity Māṇibhadra Vīra while a Sanskrit stuti – hymn – dedicated to him is played. He is the protective deity of the Tapā-gaccha sect.
- Hymn to Naminātha
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This 2007 hymn on YouTube is a Sanskrit stotra to the 21st Jina, Naminātha or Lord Nami. The sound is accompanied by pictures of statues of Jinas and monks of various Jain sects. The plain statues of nude Jinas with closed eyes and the naked monks belong to Digambara sects. The white-robed mendicants are Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjakas. The monks and nuns with mouth-cloths attached to their ears are from either the Terāpanthin or Sthānaka-vāsīn Śvetāmbara sects.
- Hymn to Ṛṣabha
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This hymn on YouTube is dedicated to Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, the first of the 24 Jinas of this era of time. The slideshow has pictures of devotees praying to Ṛṣabha and passing on his teachings.
- Hymns of Ānandghan
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The Tattva Gyan website provides a selection of 17th-century hymns to listen to. Performed in several styles here, the poems of Ānandghan remain popular among Jains of all sects today. Ānandghan's compositions are within the tradition of bhakti songs of devotion, which emphasise the emotional experience of religious devotion and the inner spiritual journey over rituals.
- Identification of the Aura and the Current of Feeling
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HereNow4U provides an excerpt from Transmutation Of Personality Through Preksha Meditation that briefly discusses the qualities of leśyā or soul colour. The excerpt takes the form of an interview with Ācārya Tulsi, the eighth leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin sect. Although he uses scripture to explain leśyās, Ācārya Tulsi considers the concept partly in the context of the 'insight meditation' – prekṣā dhyāna – of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthins, which may also be practised by those who do not follow this sect.
- Identifying Jainism in Indian Art lecture
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John Guy, Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art in the Department of Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gave this lecture in March 2010, available on YouTube. The lecture was staged to accompany the New York museum’s exhibition, ‘Peaceful Conquerors: Jain manuscript painting and sculpture’, which ran from 10 September 2009 to 28 March 2010.
- Idol of Mallī
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A Śvetāmbara statue of the 19th Jina is provided on Flickr. The black colour of the image makes the wide open eyes and tilaka – symbolising the third eye – very noticeable. According to Śvetāmbara Jains, Mallinātha or Lord Mallī is the only Jina who is female. Artistic depictions of Mallī as a woman are rare or inconclusive, however, as most representations of Jinas are highly stylised and undifferentiated from one another.
- Idol of Vimala
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This 2011 photograph on Flickr is of the 13th Jina, Vimalanātha or Lord Vimala. The black statue is extravagantly decorated, probably to celebrate a festival. With wide open eyes and lavish jewellery, the idol belongs to the Śvetāmbara sect.
- Image of Ananta
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This Flickr photo shows a statue of Anantanātha or Lord Ananta, the 14th Jina. The unadorned style of the scuipture and the closed eyes indicate that it is from the Digambara sect.
- Image of Dharma
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A highly decorated idol of Dharmanātha or Lord Dharma, the 15th Jina. Found in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, this statue has an elaborate backpiece and headdress, underlining the high status of the Jina. This Śvetāmbara sculpture on Flickr sits in the lotus pose indicating meditation.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38783430@N07/4399255710/in/photostream
- Images of Bāhubali
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The Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago provides detailed information about the images of Bāhubali found at historical sites in:
- Karnataka – Aihole, Bādāmi, Hallur, Kārkala and Mudabidri
- Uttar Pradesh – Banpur.
The black-and-white photographs can be enlarged by clicking on them.
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/aiis/aiis_query.py?start_hit=1&keyword=+Bahubali&location=&date=
- Images of Jain temples and idols
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A small selection of drawings and photographs of Jain temples and statues provided by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Images of Jinas
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A few photographs of Jina images in various styles, ranging from tenth-century sculptures to a contemporary depiction, provided by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Images of Shravana Belgola
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The best-known Digambara pilgrimage site, Shravana Belgola in Karnataka is centred around the immense statue of Bahūbali. Depicted standing in deep meditation, the statue has drawn pilgrims and interest from visitors since the tenth century. This collection of drawings and photographs is presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Indian PM hails teachings of Mahāvīra
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The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, greets Jains in the run-up to the annual celebrations of Mahavir Jayanti, reports the Hindu newspaper in a piece dated 27 March 2010.
- Indian universities with departments of Jain studies
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Jainworld provides a list of Indian universities that have departments with researchers in or courses investigating aspects of Jainism.
- Information about Ratnapuri
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Jinalaya.com provides information for pilgrims and visitors about the town of Ratnapuri in Uttar Pradesh, India. The town has several Śvetāmbara and Digambara temples dedicated to the 15th Jina. It is a sacred site because it is the scene of the birth, initiation and omniscience of Dharmanātha or Lord Dharma.
- Institut Français de Pondichéry
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The French Institute of Pondicherry is a research centre of the French Ministry of Foreigh Affairs. Founded in 1955, it undertakes scholarly research and training in South and South-East Asia. The website is in English.
- Institute of Oriental Manuscripts
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Based in St Petersburg, the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts holds 150 Jain manuscripts. The website gives full information in English about the history and work of this research institute, part of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
http://www.orientalstudies.ru/eng/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=82
- Interior of Jain caves at Ellora
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This YouTube video uploaded in 2011 presents the Jain caves at Ellora, Maharashtra. The interiors of the five caves boast intricate carved pillars, detailed figures of Jinas and deities, and the remnants of rich frescoes and bright colours.
- International Digamber Jain Organization
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Based in the United States, the International Digamber Jain Organization aims to widen knowledge of Digambara Jainism, promote community life and work towards the construction of temples in the USA. It provides:
- information on the Digambara tradition
- resources for learning and practice, such as lectures and literature in various formats, yantras and prayers,
- digitised manuscripts
- downloadable artwork and photographs.
- Introduction to Jainism – part 1
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This extract from a BBC documentary called The Frontiers of Peace introduces the ancient Indian religion of Jainism. A Śvetāmbara monk explains some of the main principles of Jainism, especially non-violence. The programme mentions the influence of Jains in India and on the work of Mahātma Gandhi. This 2010 YouTube video is the first of four parts. See the next part at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHMQRmRKh_U
- Introduction to Jainism – part 2
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This extract from a BBC documentary called The Frontiers of Peace explores the relationship between Jain traditions and modernity. A Jain lay man tells how he reconciles his faith with his industrial business interests. A Śvetāmbara monk explains the significance of his monastic broom – known as a rajoharaṇa or oghā – including the eight auspicious symbols wrapped around the handle. A nun leads lay followers in the rite of confession – pratikramaṇa. A young woman creates auspicious symbols in rice as an offering as she talks about her decision to become a nun. This 2010 YouTube video is the second of four parts. See the next part at: www.youtube.com/watch
- Introduction to Jainism – part 3
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This extract from a BBC documentary on Jainism called The Frontiers of Peace explores the concept of renunciation. The video follows a young woman's decision to become a nun and a rich lay man's faith. The ritual of keśa-loca is filmed, in which monks and nuns pull out their hair. The lay man is shown making the auspicious symbols of the svastika, three dots representing the 'three jewels' of right insight, right knowledge and right conduct and the horizontal crescent of the siddha-śilā, where liberated souls live. This 2010 YouTube video is the third of four parts. See the next part at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=670KFhISeUk
- Introduction to Jainism – part 4
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This extract from a BBC documentary called The Frontiers of Peace explores the mendicant element of the traditional fourfold community. A man talks about his decision to stop being a Jain monk and return to the householder life, while a young woman fulfils her wish to becomes a nun. This 2010 YouTube video is the last of four parts. See the first part at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPscKFV5yKU
- Introduction to Shravana Belgola
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This audio slideshow on YouTube introduces the pilgrimage centre of Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. Sacred to the Digambara sect in particular, Shravana Belgola is dedicated to Bāhubali, also called Gommaṭeśvara or ‘Lord of Gommaṭa’. The site is found on the twin hills of Vindhya-giri and Candra-giri, with a large reservoir and the town between them. The centre of the site is the 18-metre-tall statue of Bāhubali on Vindhya-giri. This slideshow was uploaded by Boltell in 2010.
- Invitation scroll
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This brightly coloured invitation scroll is painted with gold and silver, and dates from the 19th century. An invitation scroll – vijñapti-patra – is a formal letter from a particular lay community inviting a Jain monastic leader and his companions to spend the rainy season in their village or area. This zoomable photograph is on the Christie's website.
- Jai Nakoda Bhairav
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A Facebook group called Jai Nakoda Bhairav provides pictures and information in Hindi about the Śvetāmbara guardian god Nākoḍā Bhairava.
- Jain art in New York
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A slideshow from the New York Times highlighting some of the artefacts in the two exhibitions in New York on Jain art that opened in the autumn of 2009. One was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art while the other was staged at the Rubin Museum of Art.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/13/arts/20091113-jain_index.html
- Jain ascetic
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The Cleveland Museum of Art provides an unusual painting of a Jain monk carrying his mendicant equipment. Clad in white robes, the monk holds his alms bowl and a staff, which mark him out as a member of a Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjaka sect. Under his arm he carries his monastic broom and what may be a holy text. The Gujarati artist, Basawan, who worked for the Mughal Emperor Akbar, painted this picture around 1600, and its realistic treatment shows familiarity with European artistic styles.
- Jain beliefs about the soul
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An overview of Jain beliefs about the soul on the BBC website, provided as part of the Religions section.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/beliefs/soul.shtml
- Jain cave at Badami
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This 2010 YouTube video shows the interior of the Jain cave temple at Badami in Karnataka, with details of the images of Jinas and deities.
- Jain doctrine
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Jainworld.com gives a detailed explanation of key elements of Jain doctrine, including the:
- three gems
- concept of knowledge
- lay conduct
- vows
- penance.
- Jain eLibrary
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The Jain eLibrary provides PDFs or other files of Jain texts to download for non-commercial purposes. Scriptures, commentaries, dictionaries, articles, magazines and books on all aspects of Jainism are available in many languages, including English and modern Indian languages. Most sects are represented and both ancient and contemporary works are included.
Only registered users who have signed into the site can download material. To register, you must provide a valid email address, a password and some personal details.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
- Jain Karma Philosophy – Punya (Meritorious) and Pāp (Sinful) Karma
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This article by Pravin K. Shah on the HereNow4U website explains some of the main classes of karma in Jain philosophy, namely:
- destructive – ghātiyā
- non-destructive – aghātiyā
- meritorious – puṇya
- bad – pāpa.
- Jain Karmic Theory and Genetic Science
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Sohan Raj Tater's 2008 article on the HereNow4U website examines the relationship between the Jain theory of karma and contemporary scientific work in genetics.
- Jain Literature and Theatre
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A short essay entitled Jain Literature and Theatre by Atul K. Shah is available to read on the HereNow4U website. The author provides a background to the practice of the Jain faith and its expression in the performing of music, dance and drama,with a focus on Jains in the UK.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
- Jain mantras
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This 2007 animation from YouTube features a Digambara monk singing the fundamental Jain sacred formulas. The second is the Namaskāra-mantra, also called the Navkār-mantra or Namokār-mantra. A very old mantra in Prakrit, it can be sung to various melodies. It is chanted daily to the 'five types of beings worthy of worship' or Supreme Beings':
- enlightened teachers – Arhats or Jinas
- liberated souls – siddhas
- mendicant leaders – ācāryas
- teachers – upādhyāyas
- mendicants – sādhus.
Then comes a short mantra about the emptiness of the world of rebirths and the celebration of the 'four auspicious things' or 'four refuges':
- Arhat
- siddha
- monks
- law – dharma.
- Jain manuscript paintings – essay and slideshow
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Art historian John Guy writes a brief essay on the development of Jain manuscript paintings in western India. A slideshow of folios held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, illustrates his points. The essay and slideshow are available on the website of the Met.
- Jain Path to Liberation
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Pravin K. Shah describes the route to liberation for Jains, which is based on the 'three jewels' – ratna-traya – for the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/liberation.htm
- Jain research institutions in India
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Jainworld provides a list of research institutions in India that focus on various aspects of Jainism.
- Jain resources online
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The Hinduwebsite provides a page of online resources on Jainism.
- Jain Samaj Europe
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Set up in the early 1970s, the Jain Centre in Leicester, England, is one of the main centres of community and religion for British Jains. Find out more about the Jain faith and the local Jain community and read about upcoming events and activities.
- Jain sculpture essay and slideshow
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York presents a short essay on Jain sculpture. It is accompanied by a slideshow of examples in the museum's collections.
- Jain studies at Claremont Lincoln University
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Enrolling students from 2011, Claremont Lincoln University in California, USA, focuses on the academic study of religions. It offers a programme of Jain studies in partnership with Jain organisations based primarily in North America.
- Jain Studies in Science
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Professor M. R. Gelra summarises the Jain faith and how it relates to science in the preface to his 2007 book Jain Studies and Science. The full text is available to read online on the HereNow4U website.
- Jain temples
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A comprehensively illustrated examination of Jain temples from an architectural viewpoint. Entitled 'Jaina Architecture in India', the material has been collected by a Japanese architect, Takeo Kamiya, over 30 years. It covers major pilgrimage destinations as well as smaller shrines throughout India.
- Jain temples at the V&A
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The Victoria and Albert Museum in London presents brief information about Jain temples, accompanied by pictures and photographs.
- Jain Tower and Temple at Chittore
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Entitled Jain Tower and Temple at Chittore, India this landscape captures a scene that caught the eye of the English artist Marianne North during her journey through India in 1877 to 1878. It is available as part of the Marianne North Online Gallery at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew in the United Kingdom.
- Jain universe
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The Herenow4U website provides a detailed diagram of the Jain universe and a summary of traditional cosmology. It is a page from the 2008 edition of Introduction to Jainism by Rudi Jansma and Sneh Rani Jain.
- Jain Vishva Bharati University
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Located in Ladnun, Rajasthan, the Jain Vishva Bharati University is closely associated with the Terāpanthin monastic order. It also offers programmes in academic fields besides Jain studies.
- Jaina Art and Iconography
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HereNow4U provides an edited extract from the book Jaina Art and Iconography, by the Indian scholar Maruti Nandan Tiwari, in which he discusses the Jinas, deities and legendary heroes of Jainism.
- Jaina Doctrine Of Karma
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In this 2005 book, N. L. Kachhara examines how the Jain doctrine of karma can be reconciled with the modern science of biology, especially genetics. The online version is on the HereNow4U website.
To move to the next page, click on an arrow or slide the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- Jaina temples of Tamil Nadu
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A scholarly project researching the Jain temples of Tamil Nadu, investigating worship rituals and celebrations in addition to the architecture, art and inscriptions of the buildings. Led by the French Institute of Pondicherry, the project will be published as a CD-ROM.
- Jainism and Peace
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Narendra Bhandari emphasises how the key Jain concept of ahiṁsā – non-harm or non-violence – underlies the principle of peace in this chapter from Jainism: the Eternal and Universal Path for Enlightenment.
The online version of this 2011 book is provided by the HereNow4U website.
- Jainism summary for teachers
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The Religious Education Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Handbook provides a section on Jainism for teachers of religious education in the UK.
- Jainism, women and equality
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BBC Religions provides a summary and brief discussion of the status of women in the Jain faith.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/beliefs/women.shtml
- Jains in the Multicultural Mughal Empire
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Download issue 7 of the CoJS newsletter, published in March 2012, to read the article 'Jains in the Multicultural Mughal Empire' by Audrey Truschke.
The Centre of Jaina Studies in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), at the University of London, publishes an annual newsletter, which is available to download as a PDF. The newsletter features articles, summaries of research, academic news, book reviews, reports of exhibitions, notifications and reports of conferences and symposia.
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
- James Tod biography
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An officer in the British East India Company, James Tod (1782–1835) published extensive accounts of the history and geography of India, including details of his travels in Gujarat and Rajasthan between 1819 and 1823. This entry from volume 56 of the Dictionary of National Biography (1885–1900) appears in Wikisource.
- Jean-Antoine Dubois biography
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Wikisource provides a profile of Abbé Dubois (1765–1848) from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia. Dubois preached Christianity in India for over thirty years and wrote extensively about his experiences.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_%281913%29/Jean-Antoine_Dubois fr
- Jina and attendant deities
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Seventh-century bronze image of a Jina and his attendant śāsana-devatās – ‘deities of the teaching’ – who protect and promote his teaching. Identified as the 22nd Jina Neminātha or Lord Nemi, this figure is deep in meditation. Nemi's yakṣa – male attendant deity to a Jina – is called Gomedha while his yakṣī – female attendant deity – is known as Ambikā or Kūṣmāṇḍinī. This rare early representation of a Jina is available to view on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60048796
- Jina and retinue
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Metal image of a Jina and his retinue from Karnatak on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA. The unidentified Jina sits cross-legged in meditation on a lotus throne, fanned by servants with fly-whisks – carũrīs. His yakṣa and yakṣī pair of attendant gods sit on smaller lotus thrones on either side of him.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60006212
- Jina head
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A stone head of a Jina dating from the 5th century, created in the Mathura region in northern India, which was a centre of the Jain faith. This zoomable photograph, provided by the auction house Christie's, is accompanied by an audio file on Gupta workshops in Mathura by Hugo K. Weihe, a specialist in Indian and Southeast Asian Art at Christie's.
- Jina images and temples at Gwalior
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The pilgrimage centre of Gwalior in central India is famous for its carvings of Jinas. Both freestanding and relief sculptures, the Jinas are found in the temples as well as in panels cut into walls of rock. This collection of drawings and photographs is presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1000_1099/jaintemples/gwalior/gwalior.html
- Jina statues at Gwalior
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Flickr provides pictures of the mutilated Digambara figures of Jinas in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Taken in 2007, these photographs by Sergio Conti also show some of the later repairs to several of the rock-cut statues. The huge naked images were carved in the 15th century and damaged a century later on the orders of the Emperor Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sergioconti/2285506718/in/set-72157603874876112/
- Jina with his yakṣa and yakṣī
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Eleventh-century metal image of an unidentified Jina attended by his yakṣa and yakṣī. Each of the 24 Jinas has a pair of śāsana-devatās – ‘deities of the teaching’ – who protect and promote his teachings. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, provides views of the front and back of this artefact.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60006418
- Jina with yakṣa and yakṣī
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Dating from the 12th to 13th centuries, this metal figure of an unidentified Jina is flanked by his attendant deities, known as śāsana-devatās – ‘deities of the teaching’. They have not attained final liberation and are able to intervene in human affairs, unlike a Jina. By convention the male yakṣa is presented on the Jina's right side and the female yakṣī on his left. This photograph is on the website of the British Museum in London.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1914-0218-8
- Jina’s parents
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The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, USA, provides a photograph of a sculpture of the parents of a Jain teacher or Jina. From Uttar Pradesh, this stele was carved in the tenth century CE.
http://searchcollection.asianart.org/view/objects/asitem/nid/11263
- Jinas in hrīṃ syllable
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The auctioneers Christie's presents a Jain maṇḍala painted on cloth from the 19th century. Featuring the 24 Jinas arranged in the sacred mantra of hrīṃ, this colourful diagram helps in meditation.
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-jain-painting-on-cloth-india-gujarat-4346815-details.aspx
- Jīva and Ajīva
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Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha summarises the two central Jain principles of sentient and non-sentient substances in her 2007 book An Introduction to Jainism, provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Kālaka and Śakra
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The Śvetāmbara monk Kālaka and the king of the gods, Śakra, discuss Jain doctrine. The National Gallery of Australia provides this highly decorated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kālakācāryakathā.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=3131&View=LRG
- Kālakācārya-katha folio
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The richly decorated page of a manuscript of the Śvetāmbara Kālakācārya-katha contains the text of the story of ‘the religious teacher Kālaka'. Although it does not have a conventional illustration, the lavishly coloured page boasts figures in the side margins, floral borders and silver writing. Held in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the 14th-century folio is from Gujarat. The whole tale relates how Prince Kālaka is inspired to become a monk and goes through various adventures in which his religious practice gives him magical powers.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/96057.html?mulR=32227|10
- Kalpa-sūtra of Bhadrabāhu – Gallica Bibliothèque numérique
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This manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is fully digitised on the Gallica Bibliothèque numérique website, part of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France) in Paris. Though the website is available in English, the information about the artefact is in French.
- Kalugumalai sculptures
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This 2012 YouTube video explores the cave temple at Kalugumalai in Tamil Nadu, which boasts striking examples of rock-cut sculptures of Jinas as well as a cave temple. Over one hundred figures are carved into the cliff face outside the cave temple, nearly all of whom are Jinas, who mostly sit in meditation. There are numerous other stone statues at the site.
- Karma
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Chapter 4 of the 2006 book Introduction to Jainism, by Rudi Jansma and Sneh Rani Jain, describes the Jain theory of karma. The online version is presented on the HereNow4U website.
To move to the next page of the chapter, click on one of the arrows or slide the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- Karma, passions and karmic stain
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Jinalaya.com provides a detailed explanation of the complex doctrine of karma in the Jain faith, including the related notions of passions – kaṣāyas – and 'karmic stain' – leśyā – which indicates a soul's spiritual condition.
- Karmavād – Causality
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In this chapter from his book Jainism: the Eternal and Universal Path for Enlightenment, Narendra Bhandari summarises the Jain theory of karma. HereNow4U provides this online version.
- Karmavāda
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Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha summarises the Jain concept of karma-vāda or karma in her 2007 book An Introduction to Jainism, provided on the HereNow4U website.
- Kārttika Pūrṇimā – part 1
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The festival of Kārttika Pūrṇimā marks the end of the rainy season and the start of ordinary activities, which stop during the monsoon period. Men chant and clap loudly before the idol of a Jina from the temple is borne in procession – ratha-yātrā.
This two-part YouTube video records the 2010 Kārttika Pūrṇimā festival celebrated in Kolkata in West Bengal by Śvetāmbara Jains. This is the first part and you can watch the second part.
- Kārttika Pūrṇimā – part 2
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The Kārttika Pūrṇimā festival celebrates the end of the rainy season, when ordinary life can begin again. The image of a Jina from the temple is carried in procession through the streets – ratha-yātrā – while people wave fly-whisks before it, a symbol of royalty. People throw rice grains or sacred powder on to the idol. Though common in many Jain festivals, the idol procession is often a key part of Kārttika Pūrṇimā.
This two-part YouTube video records the 2010 Kārttika Pūrṇimā festival in Kolkata in West Bengal, as celebrated by Śvetāmbara Jains. This is the second part and you can watch the first part.
- Kattiawar from the road up to Pallitana, Western India
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This painting, called Kattiawar from the road up to Pallitana, Western India, is one of the views produced by English artist Marianne North, who travelled in India in 1877 to 1878. It forms part of the Marianne North Online Gallery at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew in the United Kingdom.
- Khalji gold coin
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The British Museum displays a gold coin minted in 1318 under Sultan Qutb al-Din Mubarak Shah I, final ruler of the Khalji dynasty. Thakkaur Pheru was master of the mint for three sultans of Delhi, and may have been the first Jain to gain a prestigious position at the imperial court.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_1911-0709-2053
- Kin guna bhayo re udāsī bhamarā
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This 2011 video on YouTube shows Piyush Nagar singing a song of devotion by the 17th-century poet Ānandghan. It is preceded by a modern Hindi translation of the poem, which is known as Kin guna bhayo re udāsī bhamarā after its first line. Recordings of Ānandghan's songs are very popular among contemporary Jains around the world.
- King Hemabrahma and Queen Hamesri
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JainSquare.com provides a story associated with the Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn. This tale of King Hemabrahma and Queen Hamesri is associated with the ninth verse of the hymn. Unfortunately, the level of English makes it difficult to understand in places.
- King of mantras
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An image of a contemporary Br̥had Sūrimantra Paṭa on Flickr. This maṇḍala is used in rituals of worship, specifically by the highest-ranking monks in the various Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjak orders. This example is mainly made up of colourful illustrations, with auspicious symbols, mantras and figures surrounding Indrabhūti Gautama, in the centre. As the lead disciple of Mahāvīra, Gautama is the role model of the perfect ascetic leader.
- King puts a merchant down a well
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JainSquare.com provides a story associated with the Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn. This tale, found in Guṇākara's famous 14th-century commentary, is associated with the first two verses of the hymn. Unfortunately, the level of English makes it difficult to understand in places.
https://jainsquare.wordpress.com/?s=Blessings+from+The+Goddess
- King Shrenik hears about leśyā
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Jain Square offers the story of King Shrenik, who hears an illustration of the concept of karmic stain or soul colour – leśyā – from the 24th Jina. Mahāvīra explains how the colour of the embodied soul changes according to its mental and spiritual condition. This affects the progress of the soul through the cycle of rebirth.
https://jainsquare.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/king-shrenik-illustration-lesya/
- Knowledge – Jñāna (part 1)
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Shugan Chand Jain discusses the concept of knowledge in these study notes from the International School for Jain Studies, provided on the HereNow4U website. This is the first part of the study notes on this topic; the second part is also available.
- Knowledge – Jñāna (part 2)
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Shugan Chand Jain discusses the concept of knowledge in these study notes from the International School for Jain Studies, provided on the HereNow4U website. This is the second part of the study notes on this topic; the first part is also available.
- Kubera the yakṣa
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This 2011 photograph on Flickr shows a large sculpture of the yakṣa Kubera. He is the male attendant deity of the 19th Jina, Malli. As with many of the Jinas' guardian gods, Kubera is often worshipped, because he can intervene in human affairs.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceman-nishant-spiff/6760999341/
- Kundakunda
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The HereNow4U website provides a summary of the life and works of the philosopher Kundakunda.
- Kunthunātha altarpiece
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The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, provides a zoomable photograph of a small altarpiece featuring the 17th Jina, Kunthunātha or Lord Kunthu. The metal figure is surrounded by his retinue of divine attendants and symbols of royalty, such as the parasol. Sitting in meditation, he displays typical indications of advanced spirituality, such as elongated earlobes and the bump of wisdom on his head.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=M.2010.1.51.S
- Kūṣmāṇḍinī at Ellora
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A damaged figure of the yakṣī Kūṣmāṇḍinī or Ambikā beneath a mango tree in cave 32 of the Ellora temple complex in Maharashtra. Attended by servants, the Digambara statue wears an elaborate headdress and jewellery, and sits on her lion vehicle. Only half of the image of the small child sitting on her thigh has survived. This zoomable photograph is part of the Beyond the Taj: Architectural Traditions and Landscape Experience in South Asia project at Cornell University Library in the USA.
- Kūṣmāṇḍinī at Shravana Belgola
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Flickr image from 2009 of the goddess Kūṣmāṇḍinī at Shravana Belgola, Karnataka. The powerful goddess is the guardian divinity of this major Digambara pilgrimage centre, although she is popular among all Jain sects. She is the female attendant deity – yakṣī – of the 22nd Jina Nemi and is associated with motherhood and children. Her left foot rests on her divine vehicle of a lion, which is straddled by two small figures, probably representing her sons. She is known as Ambikā to Śvetāmbara Jains.
- Kyā sōvē uṭha jāga bā’u rē
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This hymn by Ānandghan is available to listen to on the Tattva Gyan website. Works by this 17th-century mystic poet are very popular today among Jains in India and around the world. Non-Jains also appreciate the non-sectarian nature of the songs, which emphasise inner spirituality.
http://tattvagyan.com/jain-pad/kya-sove-u%E1%B9%ADha-jaga-bau-re/
- Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology and Museum
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Based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology is a national centre affiliated to the National Mission for Manuscripts. With a library of manuscripts, it has a specific section for manuscript preservation and cataloguing. In addition to holding seminars for researchers into Śvetāmbara Jainism, the L. D. Institute publishes books and the Sambodhi journal in English, Hindi and Gujarati. The L. D. Museum, on the same site, holds an important collection of Jain artefacts – statues, manuscripts, the N. C. Mehta Collection of paintings and a gallery of monastic equipment that belonged to Muni Puṇyavijaya.
- Lay vows
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Digambara specialist Vilas Sangave has written this piece on the 12 lay vows for the Jainworld website.
- Leśyās
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A definition of the concept of karmic stain or soul colour – leśyā – on the HereNow4U website.
- Liberation
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Samani Bhavit Pragya discusses the concept of salvation in this chapter from her 2000 book Jain View of Life. The online version of the book is available on the HereNow4U website.
- Life of Devarddhi-gaṇi Kṣamā-śramaṇa
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The illustrated story of Devarddhi-gaṇi Kṣamā-śramaṇa from Kumarpal Desai's 1998 Glory Of Jainism is provided on the HereNow4U website. This version of Devarddhi-gaṇi 's life names his teacher as Ācārya Lohitya-sūri.
- Life of Śītala
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JainSquare.com provides a version of the Śvetāmbara life story of Śītalanātha or Lord Śītala, the tenth Jina.
https://jainsquare.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/sheetalnath-bhagwan-10th-tirthankara/
- Lighting Dīvālī lights
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The festival of Dīvālī is celebrated by all the major Indian religions, with the Jains commemorating the final liberation of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra. Called the 'Festival of Lights' from a corruption of the Sanskrit term dīpa, the traditional clay lamp, Dīvālī always features lights on every available surface, arranged both inside and outside buildings, in the streets, around statues and altars. This 2007 Flickr photograph shows people lighting candles in New Delhi, the capital of India.
- List of Digambara holy places
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Jainteerth.com provides a list of Digambara holy places in India, complete with details of the main temple and idol, location, travel information, facilities for pilgrims and contact details of the management organisation. The site also offers background information on temples and Jain principles. Unfortunately, the standard of English is not very good.
- Look at Śrī Pārśva
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This recording of Look at Śrī Pārśva on SoundCloud was made by JAINpedia contributor M. Whitney Kelting as part of her fieldwork into Jain devotional practices among Jain women in western India in 2009.
- Lord Nemi and his retinue
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Bronze shrine featuring the 22nd Jina, Nemi, and attendants. Attributes of high status are clear, such as the triple canopy, the lion throne and the servants. His spiritual supremacy is signalled by the nimbus around his head, his lotus pose of meditation, the śrīvatsa on his chest and the meditating Jinas on both sides. At the bottom on either side sit his male attendant deity – yakṣa – Gomedha and his female attendant deity – yakṣī – Ambikā. This zoomable photograph is on the website of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, USA.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1975.17.23.S
- Mahābhārata – English translation
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The Internet Archive offers Romesh Dutt's 1898 translation of the Sanskrit epic poem Mahābhārata into English verse. One of the Hindu accounts of the poem, it can be read online or downloaded in various formats.
- Mahābhārata – English translation
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The Sacred Texts website presents Kisari Mohan Ganguli's translation into English prose of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahābhārata. Initially published between 1883 to 1896, this is one of the Hindu versions of the poem.
- Mahābhārata – English translation
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Project Gutenberg provides Kisari Mohan Ganguli's translation of the Sanskrit epic, the Mahābhārata, first published in 1883 to 1896. This is a Hindu telling of the poem. Website visitors can read the text online or download it in various formats.
- Mahāratī to Nākoḍā Bhairava
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A recording of a Śvetāmbara 'great lamp ceremony' – mahāratī – to Nākoḍā Bhairava, sung by a group of male and female singers, is available to listen to or download from Soundcloud.
- Mahavir Aradhana Kendra – museum
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The museum at the Mahavir Aradhana Kendra displays the equipment used by Gacchādhipati Ācārya Śrī Kailāsaāgara-sūrīśvara Mahārāj, among other exhibits. Information about opening hours, holdings and directions to the institute in Koba, near Ahmedabad in Gujarat, is on the website.
- Mahavir Aradhana Kendra – institute
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Based around the pilgrimage site of Mahaviralaya – a temple dedicated to Mahāvīra, the last Jina – Mahavir Aradhana Kendra is a manuscript library and research institute, which publishes academic books, chiefly on Śvetāmbara Jainism. There is also a museum that includes the monastic equipment used by Gacchādhipati Ācārya Śrī Kailāsaāgara-sūrīśvara Mahārāj.
- Mahāvīr Janam Divas celebration
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This YouTube slideshow of the celebrations of Paryuṣaṇ in Melbourne, Australia in 2010 illustrates some of the features of the eight-day long festival. Sculptures of the 14 auspicious dreams experienced by Mahāvīra’s mother are suspended from the ceiling on the fifth day of Paryuṣaṇ – Mahāvīr Janam Divas, which celebrates the birth of Mahāvīra, the 24th Jina. The sculptures are venerated in turn by all the festival participants, sometimes by being held to the crown of the head, seat of spirituality in Indian culture. Then auctions – bolī – are held to decide who should perform various ceremonies. The most important and expensive auction is over the right to take home the image of the infant Mahāvīra for the last three days of the festival. Everyone can rock the cradle holding the idol of the baby Jina, which takes pride of place in the display.
- Mahāvīr Jayantī ban is broken
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The Hindu newspaper reports on violations of the bans on animal slaughter and the sale of meat during the 2013 Jain festival of Mahāvīr Jayantī in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. One of the major Jain festivals, Mahāvīr Jayantī celebrates the birth of Mahāvīra, the 24th Jina.
- Mahāvīr Jayanti procession
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This YouTube video from 2010 shows part of a large procession – yātrā – during the festival of Mahāvīr Jayanti. This procession is held in Jaipur, Rajasthan, with the noise, colour and singing, dancing crowds in the video indicating the lively atmosphere of the event. Marking the birth of the last Jina, this festival is one of the principal Jain festivals and is celebrated by all Jain sects.
- Mahāvīr Jayantī procession – part one
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The festival of Mahāvīr Jayantī is often marked with a procession in which images of the 24th Jina Mahāvīra are carried through the streets. This large procession is made up of animals, singers and musicians, dancers and local Jains celebrating the birth of the last Jina. This procession took place in March 2010 in Jaipur, Rajasthan and also featured the message of environmental conservation.
Captured in two parts on YouTube, this is the first part. You can also watch the second part.
- Mahāvīr Jayantī procession – part two
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The festival of Mahāvīr Jayantī is often marked with a procession in which images of the 24th Jina Mahāvīra are carried through the streets. This large procession is made up of animals, musicians and singers, dancers and local Jains celebrating the birth of the last Jina. People perform worship in front of the image. Children dressed in white represent monks and nuns while others re-enact scenes associated with Mahāvīra’s birth. Nude Digambara monks stand out in the crowd. This procession took place in March 2010 in Jaipur, Rajasthan and also featured the message of environmental conservation.
Captured in two parts on YouTube, this is the second part. You can also watch the first part.
- Mahāvīr Jayanti slideshow
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The Indian Express newspaper website provides a brief slideshow of the colourful celebrations across India during the 2013 festival of Mahāvīr Jayanti. Celebrating the birth of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra, this is the only Jain festival with a place in the official calendar of India.
http://www.indianexpress.com/picture-gallery/india-celebrates-mahavir-jayanti/2575-1.html
- Mahāvīra renounces
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This illustration is from a page of the Śvetāmbara scripture of the Kalpa-sūtra in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It shows the last Jina, Mahāvīra, performing 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.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/105108.html?mulR=656|9
- Mahavira: Prophet of Non-Violence
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Bal Patil writes about the doctrine of non-violence – ahiṃsā – in Jainism and the revolutionary teachings of the 24th Jina Māhavīra, who stressed non-violence and individual responsibility for salvation.
This chapter from the 1974 book Jainism, by Colette Caillat, Bal Patil and A. N. Upadhye, is available on the HereNow4U website.
- Main Jain festivals
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The Jain Heritage Centres website provides information about the major Jain festivals.
- Major Jain festivals
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The Victoria and Albert Museum in London provides information about some of the major Jain festivals.
- Mallinatha temple
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This YouTube video from IndiaVideoDotOrg shows the journey up to the temple dedicated to the 19th Jina Mallinātha or Lord Malli on Mount Girnar. Constructed in 1230, the triple temple is one of the first shrines pilgrims encounter on the mountain. A holy place for Jains and Hindus in Gujarat, Girnar is a popular pilgrimage destination for followers of both religions.
- Mānatuṅga and the Bhaktāmara-stotra
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HereNow4U provides a version of the tale of Mānatuṅga, composer of the very popular Bhaktāmara-stotra hymn. The Digambara story found here recounts how the power of the hymn frees Mānatuṅga from his chains.
- Maṇḍala featuring hrīṃ
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The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA, presents a zoomable photograph of a Jain maṇḍala painted on cloth. This colourful diagram is intended to aid meditation and bring good luck and features the mantra of hrīṃ, a sacred formula, and many other auspicious symbols and figures.
- Maṇḍala of Mahāvīra
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The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA, provides a zoomable photograph of a 16th-century meditation diagram. This colourful maṇḍala depicts the samavasaraṇa – universal assembly – of an omniscient Jina, in which he preaches to all sentient beings. In the centre is the 24th Jina Mahāvīra, preaching to:
- members of the fourfold community in the corners
- pairs of natural enemies who are at peace during the sermon, such as the lion and antelope.
Numerous auspicious symbols and mantras enhance the powerful spiritual qualities of the maṇḍala.
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/jain-mandala-with-varddhamana-in-the-center-22429
- Maṇḍala with Pārśva
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This bright red maṇḍala features the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva, surrounded by auspicious symbols, figures and mantras. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA, provides a zoomable photograph of this maṇḍala, which dates back to the 16th century.
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/jain-mandala-with-parshvanatha-at-the-center-22413
- Māṇibhadra Vīra
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This Śvetāmbara deity can be identified from his boar head and mount of an elephant, which often has three trunks, as this one does. Māṇibhadra Vīra is the presiding deity of the Tapā-gaccha sect and is worshipped only by Tapā-gaccha followers. This photograph is provided on Flickr.
- Māṇibhadra Vīra worship in Toronto, 2011
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This 2011 YouTube video shows scenes from the worship ceremony to the protective deity Māṇibhadra Vīra in Toronto, Canada. This warrior deity sits on an elephant, often shown with three trunks, in Śvetāmbara Tapā-gaccha temples. Māṇibhadra Vīra has the head of a boar and four or more hands. He is worshipped only among Tapā-gaccha followers, as the presiding deity of this monastic lineage.
- Mantram samsāram asāram
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This 2008 YouTube video features a Digambara monk chanting the Mantram samsāram asāram, which is usually recited after the Namaskāra-mantra. The name of the mantra means The World of Rebirths has No Value. The slideshow provides the Sanskrit and transliterated phrases.
- Marianne North biography
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This page on Answers.com gives detailed information about the life and career of Marianne North (1830–1890). A British painter famous for lifelike paintings of plants and flowers, North also painted landscapes during 13 years of global travel, spending 1877 to 1878 in India.
- Meditating Jina and attendants
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A stone sculpture of a Jina and his celestial attendants. Produced in southern India around 1000 CE, this figure sits in the lotus pose of deep meditation. The zoomable photograph is on the website of the Norton Simon Museum, in Pasadena, California.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1978.26.S
- Microcosmology: Atom In Jain Philosophy & Modern Science
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The third edition of this book by Jethalal S. Zaveri and Muni Shri Mahendra Kumar discusses the relationships of Jain philosophy, modern physics and Western philosophy. The full text is available to read online on the HereNow4U website.
- Miniature Jina shrine
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The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California, provides an enlargeable photograph of a bronze Jina shrine. This portable shrine dates from the 15th century and features a Jina who lacks his identifying emblem. Sitting in meditation, he is surrounded by divine attendants and symbols of royalty.
Input "Jain" in Search suggestion - Modern sūri-mantra-paṭa
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A circular sūri-mantra-paṭa on the HereNow4U website. This modern paṭa on a tomato-red background has at its centre an image of Indrabhūti Gautama, head disciple of Mahāvīra, who is being worshipped by lay men. The 24 Jinas and other holy figures sit in concentric circles, separated by a ring of mantras. A pair of auspicious eyes, the hrīṃ mantra and the sun and moon sit above the paṭa.
- Moksha (Liberation)
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Jainbelief.com provides an overview of the Jain concept of emancipation, outlining the 15 types of liberated souls – siddhas – and the role of the Jinas in guiding human beings towards liberation.
- Mount Girnār
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This set of photographs on Flickr by amaury_217 of the holy site of Mount Girnār was taken in April 2010.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaury_217/sets/72157624360343342/with/4734492857/
- Mukta-giri temple-city
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The setting of the Digambara temple-city at Mukta-giri in Madhya Pradesh is a spectacular valley in the Saptura mountains. Dedicated to various Jinas, the 52 temples attract numerous pilgrims. This photograph on Flickr was taken in 2010.
- Mukta-giri temples
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The temple-city of Mukta-giri in Madhya Pradesh has over 50 temples, clustered in groups. This 2007 photo on Flickr shows some of the temple complexes surrounding the river, which are connected by bridges.
- Nakoda Bhairav group
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A Facebook group called Nakoda Bhairav provides information in Hindi and lots of picture of images of the Śvetāmbara guardian god Nākoḍā Bhairava.
- Nākoḍā Bhairava
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The Nakoda Bhairav website provides information about the Śvetāmbara temple at Nakoda, Rajasthan but focuses on presenting hymns, pictures and songs celebrating the Śvetāmbara protective deity Nākoḍā Bhairava. Website visitors can read and listen to hymns and download them, along with pictures of Nākoḍā Bhairava's statue. There is also an e-book in Hindi to read online or download.
- Nākoḍā Bhairava ceremony
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This YouTube video from 2010 records a Śvetāmbara 'great lamp ceremony' – mahāratī – performed in front of a Nākoḍā Bhairava image in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. A possessed man is seen in the second half of the film. The scenes are very similar to those seen in Nākoḍā, Rajasthan, where the original Nākoḍā Bhairava statue is situated.
- Nākoḍā Bhairava in California
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Facebook provides a picture of an idol of the Śvetāmbara protective god Nākoḍā Bhairava housed in the Jain Center of Northern California, in Milpitas, California.
- NaKoDa Ji ThE jAIN tirTH group
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A Facebook group called NaKoDa Ji ThE jAIN tirTH provides information in Hindi about the popular Śvetāmbara deity Nākoḍā Bhairava, including pictures of various images of him.
- Namaskāra-mantra and Bhaktāmara-stotra with yantras – part one
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This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Namaskāra-mantra followed by the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha.;
Also known as the Navkār-mantra or Namokār-mantra, the Namaskāra-mantra is a very old mantra in Prakrit. It can be sung to different tunes and is chanted daily to honour the 'five types of beings worthy of worship' or Supreme Beings':
Bhaktāmara-stotra means Devoted Gods. This title comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate.
This is the first of four parts of the Śvetāmbara hymn, which has 44 verses. This part contains stanzas 1 to 12.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJtiikKnh4
This YouTube slideshow features a recording of the Bhaktāmara-stotra, a famous Sanskrit hymn of praise to the first Jina, Ṛṣabha. The title Devoted Gods comes from the first verse, which describes how all the gods offer homage to Ṛṣabha. The slideshow includes colour-tinted yantras and mantras to help listeners meditate.
This is the first of four parts of the 44-verse Śvetāmbara hymn, covering stanzas 01 to 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJtiikKnh4&list=PLE8A9751AC19A4277
- Nandīśvara-dvīpa brass sculpture
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This freestanding brass sculpture depicts the mythical continent of Nandīśvara, where the gods go to perform religious duties. Depictions of Nandīśvara-dvīpa are frequently worshipped among the Digambara sect, but a metal image is rare. The sculpture features 52 Jinas, both sitting and standing. This piece of art is described as part of a lot auctioned by Christie's in 2002.
- Narasimharajapura
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The Jain Heritage Centres website provides information on the Narasimharajapura pilgrimage site in Karnatak. The site is dedicated to the eighth Jina Candraprabha. There are also temples in honour of the 23rd Jina Pārśva as well as the Jain saint Bāhubali and the deities Brahmayakṣa and Jvālāmālinī.
https://www.jainheritagecentres.com/jainism-in-india/karnataka/narasimharajapura-2/
- Nature Of The Soul
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In this chapter from Philosophical Foundations Of Jainism (An Introduction), Ācārya Mahāprajña of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanth sect discusses the soul. First published under the title of Jain I Darshan ke Mool Sutra, the book was translated by M. P. Lele under the guidance of Muni Mahendra Kumar ji and Muni Dulahraj ji. The translation is available online on the HereNow4U website.
Read more in the next chapter by clicking on an arrow or sliding the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- Nava-grahas and Dik-pālas sculptures
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Professor Gerd Mevissen discusses examples of carvings of two groups of Jain deities:
- Nava-grahas – 'Nine Planets'
- Dik-pālas – 'Guardians of Directions'.
This presentation, entitled 'North Bengal (Ancient Varendra): An Innovative Sub-Centre Of Jaina Sculptural Art', was delivered at the tenth Jaina Studies Workshop, on the theme of Jaina Art and Architecture at SOAS on 7 March 2008. Information is provided by the HereNow4U website.
- Navapada mahāyantra
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The siddhacakra or navapada mahāyantra is the most popular Jain yantra, believed to be highly auspicious. It is a mystical diagram representing the major parts of the path to liberation from the cycle of rebirth. With a key role in worship rituals, the siddhacakra has a central position in the Āyambil Oḷī festival. The picture is found on the HereNow4U website.
- Nawab of Awadh
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Wikipedia provides information about the wealthy rulers of the historical state of Awadh or Oudh in northern India in the 18th and 19th century. Originally representatives of the Mughal emperor, the nawabs gradually became independent rulers.
- Nemi and attendants
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A 11th-century marble image of the 22nd Jina Neminātha or Lord Nemi and his attendants. Decorated elephants flank the royal canopy over the Jina, who is fanned by servants on both sides. At the bottom on either side sit his male attendant deity – yakṣa – Gomedha and his female attendant deity – yakṣī – Ambikā. This zoomable photograph is on the website of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, USA.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1978.28.S
- Nemi and his entourage
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A 12th-century metal shrine of the 22nd Jina Neminātha, or Lord Nemi, and his retinue, surrounded by other Jinas. At the bottom on either side sit his male attendant deity – yakṣa – Gomedha and his female attendant deity – yakṣī – Ambikā. The auction house Christie's, which sold this item in 2007, provides notes and views of the shrine's front and back.
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-bronze-jain-shrine-india-gujarat-dated-4879315-details.aspx
- Nemi decides to renounce
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This illustrated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is provided by the National Gallery of Australia. At the beginning of the section dealing with the 22nd Jina, Ariṣṭanemi, also called Nemi, the painting shows the famous episode of Prince Nemi's decision to renounce worldly life just before his wedding. He is so appalled by the distress of the animals due to be killed for his wedding feast that he decides to become a monk.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?View=LRG&IRN=147981&PICTAUS=TRUE
- Neminath Temple
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The Neminath Temple at Mount Girnār is the main temple at this religious site. Girnār is closely associated with the 22nd Jina, Neminātha or Lord Nemi, because he became a monk here and later gained omniscience and then final liberation on the mountain. The site is very popular among both Digambara and Śvetāmbara sects.
- New monks and nuns receive their names
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During a Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin renunciation ceremony – dīkṣā – Ācārya Mahāshraman, the present leader of this order, reads out the names of the new nuns and monks. Since mendicants are considered to be new persons, new monks and nuns are always given new names. Performed in Hindi, this ceremony found on YouTube takes place in Rajasthan in September 2010.
- Nineteenth-century Jains at prayer
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Attributed to LaPlante, an engraving entitled 'Religious Service of the Jains, Bombay', published in the Illustrated London News in 1875. A monk is shown sitting in the lotus position with a bookstand to his right. The lay Jains sit on the floor to hear his sermon.
From the collection of Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Non-Violence And Its Many Facets
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HereNow4U provides an online version of the second edition of Non-Violence And Its Many Facets, written by Ācārya Mahāprajña, tenth head of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanth order.
- Padmāvatī and attendants
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Śvetāmbara image of the goddess Padmāvatī and attendants. Popular all over India, but especially in the south, Padmāvatī is a powerful deity associated with wealth and the ability to cure snakebite. She is also the yakṣī or female attendant deity of the 23rd Jina, Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva, who is the small figure above her head, sheltering under a canopy of snakehoods. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, provides views of both sides of the artefact.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60051141
- Padmāvatī and snakehoods
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Flickr provides a 2011 photograph of a damaged statue of the goddess Padmāvatī. The snakehoods above the figure's head and her ornate jewellery help identify her. Padmāvatī is the female attendant deity – yakṣī – of the 23rd Jina Pārśva and is popular throughout India as an independent goddess.
- Painting of Candraprabha
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This striking 18th-century painting of the eighth Jina, Candraprabha-svāmī or Lord Candraprabha, clearly shows his emblem of the crescent moon. One of six paintings of Jinas in the set, the artwork shows the Jina in a typical pose of deep meditation. The piece is available to view on the website of the Christie's auction-house.
- Painting of Padmāvatī
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The Victoria and Albert Museum in London provides a video of a British Jain, Dinesh Shah, explaining the significance of the goddess Padmāvatī. He describes the history and appearance of a family painting of the deity. Padmāvatī is the yakṣī – female attendant deity – of the 23rd Jina, Pārśva, and is also a popular goddess in her own right.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/v/videos-stories-about-jain-objects/
- Parable of the tree
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Jain Square recounts the well-known parable of the tree, which shows how actions indicate the colour of the soul – leśyā. This karmic stain or soul colour reflects the soul's spiritual condition.
https://jainsquare.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/six-friends-and-mango-tree-illustration-lesya/
- Parents of a Jina
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Stone relief of the parents of a Jina. This somewhat damaged sculpture comes from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and shows a richly bejewelled king and queen with attendants. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, provides this black and white photograph.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60005089
- Parshvanath Vidyashram Research Institute
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The Parshvanath Vidyashram Research Institute focuses on research into Śvetāmbara Jainism. Based in Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh, it has a manuscript library and publishes books and the Śramaṇ journal in Hindi and English.
- Pārśva and attendants
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A painting of the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva in the lotus pose of meditation, held aloft by a four-armed goddess. Either side of him with hands clasped in prayer are his attendant deities, represented as half-snake, half-human figures. His yakṣa Dharaṇendra is on the left and his yakṣī Padmāvatī on the right. This 19th-century image is available via Calisphere, a service of the UC Libraries, powered by the California Digital Library.
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt3w100366/?layout=metadata&brand=calisphere
- Pārśva and multiple Jinas
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The Norton Simon Museum in California provides a zoomable photograph of a metal altarpiece featuring the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva. Surrounded by the symbols and divine attendants who form the entourage of the Jina image – parikara – Pārśva is presented against a background of many other Jinas, all sitting in deep meditation.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1975.17.22.S
- Pārśva and retinue
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An 11th-century image of the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva and two unidentified Jinas. At the bottom sit his male attendant deity – yakṣa – Dharaṇendra and his female attendant deity – yakṣī – Padmāvatī. Dharaṇendra is the reincarnation of a snake Pārśva saved from death while Padmāvatī is a popular goddess in her own right, also closely associated with snakes. This photograph of the bronze image is on the website of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, USA.
http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_title.php?id=F.1975.06.S
- Pārśva meditating
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The National Gallery of Australia offers an elaborately illustrated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra. The 23rd Jina Pārśva sits in the lotus posture of meditation. He is easily identifiable from his seven-headed snake headdress.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=177853&View=LRG
- Pārśvānātha and his yakṣas
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Eleventh-century bronze image of the 23rd Jina Pārśvānātha, or Lord Pārśvā, and his divine retinue. He sits under his characteristic canopy of snakehoods, fanned by attendants on each side. At the bottom he is flanked by his male attendant deity – yakṣa – and his female attendant deity – yakṣī. The British Museum provides this photograph and notes on the artefact.
- Partial English translation of pratikramaṇa
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English translation of part of the prayer of pratikramaṇa on YouTube. One of the daily duties of monks and nuns, reciting the pratikramaṇa is a rite of confession that for lay Jains forms a key part of the annual festivals of Paryuṣaṇ and Daśa-lakṣaṇa-parvan. As part of this confession ritual, Jains say the Prakrit phrase Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ, meaning ‘May no harm come from my actions’. This is a formulaic apology that festival-goers are supposed to perform.
- Parts of a siddhacakra
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Academic K. V. Mardia has created a diagram describing the different parts of a siddhacakra or navapada. The foremost Jain yantra, the siddhacakra summarises some of the holiest elements of the Jain religion.
The Yorkshire Jain Foundation in the UK provides a downloadable and printable PDF. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.
- Paryuṣaṇ in the United States
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The Pluralism Project at Harvard offers a short essay on the festival of Paryuṣaṇ, called 'Paryushan and the Festival of Forgiveness'. It focuses on contemporary Jainism in the United States.
https://pluralism.org/paryushana-and-the-festival-of-forgiveness
- Paryuṣaṇ recipes
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Recipes suitable for cooking during the Śvetāmbara festival of Paryuṣaṇ from the ramkicooks blog. During this annual festival of eight days, observant Jains tend to follow stricter than normal rules regarding food. Most families give up fresh vegetables, eating only grains, pulses and dairy produce. Taking additional vows to fast completely or partly for any given day of the festival, particularly the first and last days, is common.
- Past images of Mount Abu
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Historical photographs and drawings of Mount Abu, a famous Jain pilgrimage site boasting white marble temples with ornate carvings. These images are presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Paṭa of Mount Shatrunjaya
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A 19th-century Rajasthani example of a paṭa – decorative map of a holy site – of the pilgrimage centre of Mount Shatrunjaya. Owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the United States, the paṭa can be enlarged by clicking on the icon of the magnifying glass. A paṭa can be used to complete a mental pilgrimage to the place depicted, which is believed to be of even more religious value than making the physical journey.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/68189.html?mulR=31553|11
- Path To Liberation: A Prayer
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In his 1998 book ABC of Jainism, Shanti Lal Jain presents an English translation of Budhjan's 'Prabhu Patit Paawan' by Shri Girdhar Lal Jain. The reciter of the prayer extols those who have broken free of the cycle of rebirth and resolves to follow their example to reach salvation. The translation is provided by the HereNow4U website.
- Performance of Śālibhadra
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This YouTube video films children from the Jain Center of Greater Phoenix, in Texas, USA performing an English version of part of the story of Śālibhadra. Children often perform a shortened version of the tale, which emphasises the duty of giving alms to monks and nuns.
- Photos of the ‘Victorious Ones’ exhibition
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This photo set on Flickr captures some views of the major exhibition called 'Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection' held at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York from 18 September 2009 to 15 February 2010.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmanyc/sets/72157622590961162/with/4206611214/
- Phyllis Granoff – ‘Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection’
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Information about the book Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection, edited by Phyllis Granoff. Published jointly by Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd, Ahmedabad, India, and Rubin Museum of Art, New York, in September 2009, the book accompanied an exhibition of Jain art at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, which ran from 18 September 2009 to 15 February 2010.
https://shop.rubinmuseum.org/books/victorious-ones-jain-images-of-perfection/
- Pilgrimage site of Shravana Belgola
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This YouTube video shows the Digambara pilgrimage site of Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. Centred on the 18-metre-tall Bāhubali statue at the top of Vindhya-giri, the site also has many temples and holy spots. A small metal image of Gommaṭeśvara or Bāhubali sits at the feet of the colossus, which is flanked by two female figures. The video was uploaded in 2010 by Indiavideodotorg.
- Play of Śālibhadra
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Children perform the story of Śālibhadra in this YouTube video from 2011. The play was organised by the Jain Vishwa Bharati of North America, which is based in New Jersey, USA.
- Popularise tenets of Anuvrat movement: Gehlot
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This article in The Hindu newspaper reports on the Anuvrat Convention in 2010. Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Chief Minister, praises the Aṇuvrat Movement and Ācārya Mahāśramaṇa, leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthins, also addresses the gathering.
- Poṣa-daśamī – part 1
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The Poṣa-daśamī festival celebrates the birth of the 23rd Jina, Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva. Held in late December or early January in the Western calendar, Poṣa-daśamī is also known as Pārśvanātha-jayantī. Typically of many Jain festivals, an idol from a local temple is the centre of a procession through the streets – ratha-yātrā. The procession includes decorated animals, musicians, lay Jains and white-clad nuns. The Jina image is hung with bright flower garlands and is fanned with fly-whisks, symbolic of royalty. Lay Jains dance, sing and clap as the statue is brought into the temple at the end of the procession.
This two-part YouTube video records the 2010 Poṣa-daśamī festival in Jaipur, Rajasthan as celebrated by Śvetāmbara Jains. This is the first part .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YihWayx7NKQ
Watch the second part here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UddsDpAwYAY - Poṣa-daśamī – part 2
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Commemorating the birth of the 23rd Jina, Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva, the Poṣa-daśamī festival is also known as Pārśvanātha-jayantī. It is celebrated in late December or early January in the Western calendar. Following a street procession – ratha-yātrā – the garlanded statue of Pārśva is brought into the local temple, while a conch is blown and a bell rung. The local community gathers around it and sings hymns in celebration. Chanting, they move a tray of fire in circles, offering pūja or worship to the statue. All the other images of Jinas in the temple are also decorated with flowers.
This two-part YouTube video records the 2010 Poṣa-daśamī festival in Jaipur, Rajasthan as celebrated by Śvetāmbara Jains. This is the last part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXsnBlBDOHk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UddsDpAwYAY - Poṣa-daśamī in 2009
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This YouTube video shows the 2009 festival of Poṣa-daśamī in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Celebrating the birth of the 23rd Jina Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva, the festival is observed by all Jain sects. An idol of the Jina is carried through the streets in a silver crib inside a larger shrine, surrounded by a procession of lay people. The local community makes offerings to the Jina when the procession reaches the temple.
- Possible illustration of Śālibhadra
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York presents an illustrated folio from a manuscript of the story of Śālibhadra. However, this attribution is uncertain.
http://metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60004942
- Possible shrine to Vāsupūjya
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The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco presents five high-resolution images of a 15th-century metal shrine that may be dedicated to the 12th Jina, Vāsupūjya.
http://67.52.109.59:8080/emuseum/view/objects/asitem/id/19520
- Possible statue of Ambika
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This figure from Bihar, with an elaborate headdress, may be the goddess Ambika or Kūṣmāṇḍinī, who is associated with children and fertility. She is conventionally portrayed holding a mango and accompanied by a small child or two. She is also the yakṣī – female attendant deity – of Nemi, the 22nd Jina. This photograph is on the website of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California, USA.
http://67.52.109.59:8080/emuseum/view/objects/asitem/id/19199
- Potters Bar temple – animation
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This video on YouTube is a computer-generated depiction of the Śvetāmbara Jain temple in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire in England. Completed in 2006 using materials and craftsmen from India, the temple clearly displays the traditional three main elements of porch, hall – maṇḍapa – and image chamber – garbha-gr̥ha. Drawing worshippers and tourists alike, the largest Jain temple in Europe is a very visible statement of the Jain presence in the UK.
- Practicability of Ahimsa
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Jainworld provides information from the scriptures about how lay people can put into practice the principal Jain doctrine of ahiṁsā – non-violence or non-harm. Actively engaging in ahiṁsā can take the form of donating to charity, promoting general welfare and encouraging tolerance.
https://jainworld.com/education/jain-education-material/senior-level/practicability-of-ahimsa/
- Praise of the Jinas
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This 2010 YouTube video features a rendition of a hymn to the Jinas, sung in Gujarati. A stuti is an old prayer, usually in Prakrit or Apabhraṁśa, that can be either chanted or recited.
- Preksha Meditation
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The Preksha Foundation is a non-profit spiritual, educational, charitable and humanitarian organisation. Based in Rajasthan, India, it was set up to promote Preksha Meditation around the world. The website provides information about Preksha Meditation, including its history, principles and centres. Details of the practice in text, audio recordings and videos are supplied so website visitors can practise at home.
- Preparing for the 2006 anointing ritual
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The Hindu newspaper reports the final preparations for the 2006 great head-anointing rite – mahāmastakābhiṣeka – of the monolithic idol of Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. Dated 25 January 2006, the article lists some of the facilities and decorative efforts to ready the hill of Vindya-giri for the ceremony, which takes place every 12 years and draws thousands of pilgrims and sightseers.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2006012512300400.htm&date=2006/01/25/&prd=th&
- Procession in Madhya Pradesh
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This 2013 video on YouTube shows the procession during the festival of Mahāvīr Jayantī in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. White horses in bright trappings lead the procession – yātrā – while children carry the Jain flag behind them. A boy is dressed as a lion, the emblem of the 24th JIna Mahāvīra. The heart of the procession is the golden statue of Mahāvīra set within a representation of the cosmic axis, Mount Meru. A family takes the positions of high privilege around the image, which they have won by auction – bolī.
- Procession of Mahāvīra idol
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This 2009 YouTube video shows the procession of a small golden idol of Mahāvīra – rathayātrā – through the streets of New Delhi. The procession takes place during the Digambara festival of Daśa-lakṣaṇa-parvan. The men in orange, some of whom are also crowned, are the prominent lay men who have won the privilege of accompanying the statue in the procession. They put the statue in an ornate shrine on a platform set on a tractor with false horses attached. Before the procession begins, Jain lay women move trays of fire in circles – āratī – offering pūja or worship to the idol. Lay people dance in the procession around the idol, which is fanned by fly-whisks, a sign of high status. Many of the dancers wave bright plastic objects, which are modern equivalents of traditional fly-whisks. The women dressed in orange are the wives of the prominent lay men on the tractor. A model of Bāhubali with vines creeping up his legs is also fanned. Small children ride on the shrine, which is hung with a Jain flag at the back, while musicians and models form part of the procession. Two fully fledged monks take part, accompanied by novice monks in white. At the end of the procession the idol is taken into the temple, placed in front of a large Jina image and given a sacred bath. Food is provided for the participants afterwards. All along, there are various songs or prayers. In the first part, the Pañca-namaskāra-mantra is sung to various tunes, then come hymns in Hindi. For instance, one of them says: ‘Listen to the voice of the Jinas’.
- Procession to the renunciation ceremony
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Dressed as a bride, the initiation candidate scatters money and gifts in a large public procession on her way to the renunciation ceremony to become a nun – dīkṣā. Nuns and lay women dressed in wedding saris walk behind her palanquin in this undated ceremony in Gujarat, found on YouTube.
- Queen Triśalā’s auspicious dreams
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This painting of Queen Triśalā's auspicious dreams is on a folio of the Kalpa-sūtra held in the Brooklyn Museum in New York. Women experience auspicious dreams when they are carrying babies who grow up to be Jinas. These dreams predict the great spiritual leadership of their children. The Digambara sect specifies 16 dreams while the Śvetāmbaras lists 14 dreams.
- Questions And Answers About The Theory Of Karma
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Manubhai Doshi answers some common questions about karma in this chapter from Essence of Jainism, first published in 1992. The online version is on the HereNow4U website.
- Rājacandra information in Gujarati
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The shrimadrajchandra.org website is a Gujarati site run by Dinesh D. Mehta.
- Rājacandra remembers his previous lives
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This 2008 cartoon on YouTube shows the central episode in the childhood of the 19th-century poet and reformer Śrīmad Rājacandra. Following the death of a family friend, seven-year-old Rājacandra remembered his previous existences – jāti-samaraṇa-jñāna.
- Rāmāyaṇa – English translation
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Ralph Griffith's English translation of the Rāmāyaṇa is offered on the Sacred Texts website. First published from 1870 to 1874, this is a verse translation of one of the Hindu accounts, with footnotes.
- Rangoli of Mahāvīra
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This rangoli of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra, was created as part of the 2006 Dīvālī celebrations at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Jains commemorate Mahāvīra's final liberation during Dīvālī, which lasts several days. The festival is celebrated by all the major Indian religions, though with different interpretations of the festivities associated with the coming of the new year. Creating rangoli – auspicious patterns and pictures – is common during Indian festivals, as signs of welcome and auspiciousness. Traditionally made of coloured rice or powder, rangoli range from simple shapes to highly intricate designs that take days to complete. This 2006 photo is found on the Flickr website.
- Re-enactment of the story of Candanabālā
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This slideshow displays the re-enactment of the story of Candanabālā, who offered Mahāvīra appropriate food to break his fast. Sold into slavery, the beautiful princess has her lovely hair chopped off and is starved for three days. Even so, her first act when released is to offer alms to a passing mendicant. He is Mahāvīra, who becomes the 24th Jina, and he has been fasting for nearly six months. Candanabālā’s act of selfless charity despite her suffering causes her hair to be restored and her true identity revealed. The story of this virtuous woman – one of the soḷa satī – emphasises the importance of offering alms correctly. Acting out such stories is an important part of many Jain festivals. This re-enactment on YouTube was performed by Śvetāmbara Jains in Melbourne, Australia during the festival of Paryuṣaṇ in 2010.
- Recipe for Jain gravy
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As well as being vegetarians, Jains traditionally do not eat onions or garlic as they are believed to hold numerous souls. This 2009 video on YouTube offers a recipe for Jain gravy, which forms the basis of many curries used in Jain homes.
- Recipe for matar paneer
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Jains are traditionally vegetarian because they do not wish to eat things that have souls. As well as meat, fish and eggs, this includes onions and garlic, because they are believed to hold numerous souls. This 2010 YouTube video offers a recipe for a Jain version of the popular Indian dish of muttar paneer.
- Relief of Brahmā
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A wall carving of Brahmadeva or Brahmayakṣa on the Jain Heritage Centres website. The yakṣa male attendant deity – of the tenth Jina, Śītala, the god Brahmā is believed to guard temples. He is frequently depicted riding a horse and holding weapons that help him to protect the temple.
https://www.jainheritagecentres.com/jainism-in-india/karnataka/manchenahalli/
- Report of Ahimsa Day 2008
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The Institute of Jainology in the UK provides a report of the 2008 Ahimsa Day in London, held in Portcullis House, annexe of the House of Commons.
- Report of Ahimsa Day 2009
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The Institute of Jainology in the UK provides an illustrated report of the 2009 Ahimsa Day in London, held in Portcullis House, annexe of the House of Commons.
- Report of Ahimsa Day 2010
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The Institute of Jainology in the UK provides an illustrated report of the 2010 Ahimsa Day in London, held in the House of Commons.
- Report of Ahimsa Day 2011
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The Institute of Jainology in the UK provides an illustrated report of the 2011 Ahimsa Day in London, held in the House of Commons. The theme was Climate Change and the Contemporary World. There are also links to the texts in PDF of some of the speeches and poems read out during the evening.
You will need Adobe Reader to open PDF files.
- Report of Supreme Court decision to uphold Paryuṣaṇ ban
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IBN Live news website reports the 2008 ruling of the Supreme Court of India to uphold the decision of the state government of Gujarat to ban the operation of slaughterhouses, butchers and fisheries during the festival of Paryuṣaṇ. The 2008 article includes a video of the television news report, which features a phone interview with the legal correspondent in New Delhi. He explains the history of the legal case and possible wider applications of the ruling throughout India.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gujarat-meat-eaters-can-abstain-out-of-respect-sc/61275-3.html
- Report on preparations for the 2006 anointing of Bāhubali
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In this article entitled ‘Ascetic grandeur’, Jangveer Singh reports on preparations for the 2006 ‘great head-anointing ceremony’ – mahā-mastakābhiṣeka – of the enormous statue of Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. Dated 22 January 2006, this article appears in Spectrum, the Sunday magazine of the Tribune newspaper, based in Chandigarh, India.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060122/spectrum/main4.htm
- Restoring a Jain paṭa
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The National Museum of Scotland provides details of restoration carried out on a 19th-century wall-hanging – paṭa – of the Jain triple world. A slideshow of photographs of the conservation process and some of the results is also offered.
- Royal Asiatic Society
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Based in London, the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland dates back to 1823, when it was founded to assist scholarly investigation into the history, cultures, religions and languages of Asia. The society has a large library, including an extensive manuscript collection, organises seminars and lectures, and publishes a journal three times a year.
- R̥ṣabha and Indra
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A manuscript painting in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art shows Indra, king of the gods, taking the infant R̥ṣabhanātha or Lord R̥ṣabha, the first Jina, to Mount Meru for his ritual bath. The decorated elephant and canopy symbolise royalty while the lotus flowers are emblems of spiritual purity. The gods around blow trumpets and conches in celebration. A very popular Jain hymn of praise, the Bhaktāmara-stotra has been translated into many languages and illustrated numerous times.
- Ṛṣabha, attendants and Jinas
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This black stone figure of the first Jina, Ṛṣabhanātha or Lord Ṛṣabha, dates from the 12th century. The standing image is surrounded by the other 23 Jinas and his yakṣa and yakṣī – attendant deities.
The photograph can be enlarged and zoomed in to examine the piece in more detail. The photo and a short audio description are on the website of the auction house Christie's.
- R̥ṣabha’s ritual bath
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The Los Angeles County Museum of Art provides a manuscript illustration of the lustration or ritual bath of R̥ṣabhanātha or Lord R̥ṣabha, the first Jina. A very popular Jain hymn of praise, the Bhaktāmara-stotra has been translated into many languages and illustrated numerous times.
http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=72260;type=101
- Rubin Museum of Art – Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection
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The Rubin Museum of Art in New York provides information about the major exhibition called Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection' it staged from 18 September 2009 to 15 February 2010.
- Sacred colours
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Acharya Shri Shushil Muni explains the sacred colours of Jainism, which are found in several holy symbols, including the siddhacakra, the Namaskāra-mantra and the Jain flag. The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/colorscience.htm
- Śālibhadra play during Mahāvīr Jayantī
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The Institute of Jainology reports on the celebrations of the 2009 Mahāvīr Jayantī festival in London. One of the highlights of the two-day celebration was the performance of Tyagveer Shalibhadra. Young people from the Shree Chandana Vidhyapeeth school performed this original play in Gujarati, which featured music and dancing, short dialogues and narrations.
http://www.jainology.org/235/jains-in-the-uk-join-hands-to-celebrate-mahavir-jayanti-2009/
- Samavasaran Temple
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A recent building, the Samavasaran Temple is in the town of Palitana at the foot of Mount Shatrunjaya, one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjaka Jains. Built as a stepped circle, the temple recreates the samavasaraṇa or universal gathering. When a Jina reaches omniscience, he sits in the centre of a samavasaraṇa the gods have built for him so all living beings can hear him preach.
The HereNow4U website has images of the temple.
- Śankheśvar Dādā
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This recording of Śankheśvar Dādā on SoundCloud was made by JAINpedia contributor M. Whitney Kelting as part of her fieldwork into Jain devotional practices among Jain women in western India in 2009.
- Scene featuring Śālibhadra and his wives
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This amateur video on YouTube shows a scene from the Hindi-language play of Śālibhadra, which was performed in August 2010 to commemorate the opening of the Jain Vishwa Bharati centre in Houston, Texas, USA.
- Science in Jain Canonical Literature
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The HereNow4U website presents an essay by Manikant Shah based on the work of Professor L. C. Jain, director of the Vidyasagar Research Institute in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. The 2011 essay points out some connections between Jain beliefs and scientific discoveries.
- Science in Jainism
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The Indian scholar M. R. Gelra of the Jain Vishva Bharati Institute in Ladnun, Rajasthan, has written a book called Science and Jainism: Perspectives, Issues and Futuristic Trends. It is available to read online on the HereNow4U website.
- Sculpture of Malli
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Flickr provides a photograph of the 19th Jina, Mallinātha or Lord Malli. Typically of Śvetāmbara idols of Jinas, this statue has wide open eyes and ornate jewellery, including a golden śrīvatsa in the middle of his chest. Although this image is not of a woman, Śvetāmbara Jains believe the 19th Jina is female. In fact, depictions of Mallī as a woman are rare or inconclusive, with nearly all artwork of Jinas showing them as extremely stylised and almost identical.
- Selected songs of Ānandghan
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A few songs by Ānandghan are available in Devanāgarī script, Roman transliteration and English translation. Ānandghan has been a popular poet of hymns among Jains of all sects since the 17th century. This selection, part of an ongoing project, is on a faculty private page on the Colorado State University website.
- Seven Wonders of India – Palitana Temples
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The Svetāmbara pilgrimage centre at Mount Shatrunjaya is showcased in this NDTV video on YouTube. Jain pilgrims are shown climbing the steep hill – some carried in a kind of palanquin called a ḍolī – and worshipping in some of the hundreds of temples on the twin hills. The presenter gives a brief outline of the Jain faith and mentions the navanū – ‘99fold’ – pilgrimage, which is one of the hardest and most demanding ones.
Beginning in 2008, the New Delhi Television show Seven Wonders of India asked viewers to vote for their favourite seven sites in the country over a year. Part of a publicity campaign organised by the Ministry of Tourism, the show's presenters visited many sites considered potential winners.
- Seven Wonders of India – Ranakpur
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The Jain temples at Ranakpur in Rajasthan are featured in this NDTV video on YouTube. The video includes a brief history of the site, interviews with foreign tourists and details of the famously intricate architecture of the temples.
As part of a publicity campaign organised by the Ministry of Tourism in 2008–9 the New Delhi Television show Seven Wonders of India asked viewers to vote for their favourite seven sites in the country. The show's presenters visited many sites considered potential winners.
- Seven Wonders of India – Shravanabelagola
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The Digambara pilgrimage site of Shravana Belagola in Karnataka is the subject of this NDTV video on YouTube. The presenter gives a brief history of the site and the story of Bāhubali, whose huge statue is the focus of worship. Some pilgrims in ill health are carried in sedan chairs up and down the steep hill, atop which stands the Bāhubali colossus. Inscriptions protected by heavy sheets of glass are shown. Pilgrims performing worship rituals are filmed, including the sacred bath or ‘head-anointing ceremony’ – mastakābhiṣeka – of a small metal image of Gommaṭeśvara or Bāhubali.
The New Delhi Television show Seven Wonders of India asked viewers to vote for their favourite seven sites in the country. It was part of a publicity campaign organised by the Ministry of Tourism in 2008 to 2009. The show's presenters visited many sites considered potential winners.
- Shatrunjaya photographs
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This set of photographs on Flickr by amaury_217 of the holy site of Mount Shatrunjaya was taken in April 2010.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaury_217/sets/72157624236203157/with/4734828559/
- Shravana Belgola description
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Description of the site of Shravana Belgola and the Mahā-mastakābhiṣeka – ‘Great head-anointing ceremony’ – of the Gommaṭeśvara or Bāhubali statue there. Background material on Jain holy places and Gommaṭeśvara is also given on this page on the Sacred Sites website.
Most of the photographs of the 2006 ‘Great head-anointing ceremony’ are taken from the BBC slideshow by Karoki Lewis.
- Shravana Belgola summary
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Background information about the pilgrimage site of Shravana Belagola in Karnataka. Holy to the sect of the Digambaras in particular, Shravana Belagola is focused on the towering statue of Bāhubal, frequently called Gommaṭeśvara or ‘Lord of Gommaṭa’. The 18-metre-tall idol is at the top of the hill of Vindhya-giri so visitors must climb 500 steep steps barefoot to reach it. The Archaeological Haecceities blog provides this information about the stone colossus.
http://haecceities.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/shravanabelagola-almost-a-seventh-wonder-of-the-world/
- Shri Nakoda Ji Jain Temple
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The Shri Nakoda Ji Jain Temple website presents information about the Śvetāmbara temple in Nakoda, Rajasthan, dedicated to Pārśvanātha or Lord Pārśva, the 23rd Jina. Website visitors can perform online worship ceremonies to the cult figure of Nākoḍā Bhairava.
- Shri Vallabhipur Tirth
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Jinalaya.com provides practical and historical information about the Shri Vallabhipur temple in Gujarat. Dedicated to the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra, the temple houses statues of Devarddhi-gaṇi Kṣamā-śramaṇa and 500 other ācāryas or religious leaders. The temple at Valabhī – now Vallabhi – commemorates the final compilation of the Āgamas that make up the scriptures of the Śvetāmbara sect.
- Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram
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Established in 1920 by Rājacandra’s closest disciple Laghurāja, the Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram is in Agās, Gujarat. The ashram publicises the teaching of Rājacandra and welcomes visitors to study and pray.
http://www.shrimad.com/riseofagasashram/
See Also https://wethecouple.com/2017/08/20/the-first-shrimad-rajchandra-ashram-you-need-to-visit/
- Shrine to Gaṇeśa
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A portable Jain shrine to the popular deity Gaṇeśa. With an elephant head, Gaṇeśa is associated with wealth, knowledge of all kinds and wisdom. Details of this shrine are provided by Christie's of London, where it was auctioned in 2009.
- Siddhacakra
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The siddhacakra or navapada is a flower with nine sections representing the Five Supreme Entities and the 'Four Jewels'. It is thus a visual summary of key elements of Jain belief. Often known as a navpad nowadays, the siddhacakra is a mystical yantra used in worship rites. This photo on Flickr shows a Śvetāmbara siddhacakra, with an ornately bedecked Jina in the centre.
- Siddhacakra mahāyantra
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The Herenow4U website provides a picture of a siddhacakra or navapada mahā-yantra, the most popular yantra among contemporary Jains. This mystical diagram presents some of the main elements of Jainism. King Śrīpala and Queen Mayṇāsundarī, who are closely associated with it, are shown at the bottom demonstrating worship of the yantra.
- Śītalanātha temple in Kolkata
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The Śvetāmbara temple to Śītalanātha or Lord Śītala in Kolkata, West Bengal, is a distinctive design built in the 19th century. This 2011 picture on Flickr shows its ornate gardens.
- Site of Supārśva’s birth
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The Jaintirths website provides information about Bhadaini in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. This holy site is dedicated to Supārśvanātha or Lord Supārśva, the seventh Jina, who was born here. The exact place where Supārśva was born is supposed to be ‘Bhadaini Muhallah’, near the bank of the Ganges, which is known as the ‘Jain ghat’. Both main sects of Śvetāmbaras and Digambaras maintain separate temples here.
- Sittanavasal temple
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The HereNow4U website provides information about the Digambara site of Sittanavasal in Tamil Nadu. Famous for its colourful frescoes, the cave temple is also listed by the Archaeological Survey of India as a protected monument.
- Sittannavasal cave temple
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The Archaeological Survey of India supplies historical and practical information about the rock-cut temple at Sittannavasal in Tamil Nadu.
- Sketch of a siddhacakra
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This sketch of a siddhacakra is found in a manuscript held in the National Gallery of Australia. The Svetāmbara yantra or mystical diagram has nine parts, representing key elements of Jain doctrine. In the centre of the stylised lotus flower is a Jina and around him on alternating petals sit the other beings that make up the five highest beings. On the petals between them are phrases representing the 'four fundamentals'.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=157990&View=LRG
- Some temples at Mukta-giri
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The temple-city at Mukta-giri in Madhya Pradesh is a popular pilgrimage site for Digambara Jains. Unusually for Jain temples, the shrines are built in a valley instead of on a hill. Two of the temple compounds, joined by a bridge across a river, are shown in this 2008 photograph on Flickr.
- Sonā-giri from the upper temples
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The temple-city of Sonā-giri is one of the major pilgrimage sites for Digambara Jains. Over a hundred temples and shrines are scattered over hilly terrain in Madhya Pradesh, linked by paths. This 2010 photo on Flick shows a view of some temples from higher up the hill.
- Sonā-giri temples and pilgrims
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This 2012 photo on Flickr captures the view from the summit of the temple-city of Sonā-giri in Madhya Pradesh. Pilgrims walk barefoot from one shrine to another in this popular Digambara site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gusthead/7601995854/in/set-72157629313296186
- Song to Nākoḍā Bhairava
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A song dedicated to Nākoḍā Bhairava, the protective Śvetāmbara deity in Rajasthan, is available to listen to or download from Soundcloud.
- Song versions of the Ātmasiddhi
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One of the most influential works of the 19th-century poet and mystic Śrīmad Rājacandra is the Ātmasiddhi (Realisation of the Self). The Atmadharma website offers MP3 audio files of different singers singing the Ātmasiddhi in the original Gujarati and in Hindi. In the traditional bhakti devotional style, the music can be downloaded or listened to online.
http://www.atmadharma.com/audio/bhakti/atmasiddhishastra.html
- Spectacular Jain festival – 2006 anointing of Bāhubali
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The 2006 ‘great head-anointing ceremony’ – mahā-mastakābhiṣeka – of the immense statue of Bāhubali at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka attracted thousands of Digambara pilgrims, Śvetāmbara Jains and sightseers. Wealthy Jains who have bid for the privilege pour various substances over the head of the 18-metre tall statue in a waterfall of colours and materials. In this BBC News Special Reports on the BBC website, Karoki Lewis presents an audio-slideshow of the joyous celebration.
- Śrī Śankheśvar Pārśvanāth
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This recording of Śrī Śankheśvar Pārśvanāth on SoundCloud was made by JAINpedia contributor M. Whitney Kelting as part of her fieldwork into Jain devotional practices among Jain women in western India in 2009.
http://soundcloud.com/jainpedia/shri-shankheshvar-parshvanath
- Śrīmad Rājacandra resources
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The Jain Belief website offers resources on the influential 19th-century writer and reformer Śrīmad Rājacandra.
- Śruta-pañcamī – part 1
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Some features of the annual Digambara festival of knowledge – Śruta-pañcamī – are demonstrated in this YouTube video, such as the worship ritual and the procession of holy texts. Temple rites include the ritual anointment of freestanding metal plaques representing holy texts and idols, accompanied by jangling percussion. The main part of the ritual shown in this video centres around the worship of the śruta-skandha-yantra, a plaque made of brass in the form of a tree, which represents the kinds of scriptures Digambaras recognise. Carried in procession, the sacred books are garlanded with flowers and flanked by attendants using fly-whisks, which indicate the princely status of the artefacts, while devotees kneel before a naked monk and touch his feet. The Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama, the main authoritative source of Digambara teachings, is the book worshipped here.
This three-part YouTube video records the festival at Mudalur, Tamil Nadu in India, held over 28th and 29th May 2009. This is the first part and you can watch the second part at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-I9AYjIcAc
- Śruta-pañcamī – part 2
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The procession of holy texts in the annual Digambara festival of knowledge – Śruta-pañcamī – is the main subject of this YouTube video. As the centre of festivities, the sacred books are decorated with flower garlands. They are placed on a model elephant, protected from the sun by a canopy and fanned with fly-whisks, all symbols of royalty. The Jain flag is waved in front. Lay Jains, many dressed in orange – the colour of spirituality in India – take part in the noisy procession. Some carry the metal sculptures of the 12 dreams of a Jina’s birth. A nude monk, holding his peacock-feather broom, and white-clad nuns also participate. The procession ends with a display of holy books, the reflection of which is ritually anointed, and a rite of worship in which the auspicious symbol of the svastika can be clearly seen.
This three-part YouTube video records the festival at Mudalur, Tamil Nadu in India, held over 28th and 29th May 2009. This is the second part and you can watch the last part at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR21K-vcp5U
- Śruta-pañcamī – part 3
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This YouTube video follows the end of the first day’s events of the annual Digambara festival of knowledge – Śruta-pañcamī. First, a rite of worship before a brightly coloured rangoli – a design of coloured powder or rice symbolising joy and welcome – is performed. The lay community files past the rangoli and metal sculpture representing knowledge while monks and lay people chant a Sanskrit hymn. This song praises knowledge, omniscience, the scriptures and the goddess Sarasvatī, who embodies knowledge. Behind the rangoli piles of holy books can be seen, which have been carried in procession through the village as guides to knowledge. After the fire ritual, an inititation ceremony – dīkṣā – of a new monk, featuring keśa-loca – ‘pulling out of the hair’ – takes place before the crowd. Afterwards, they move trays of fire in circles – āratī – offering pūja or worship to the new mendicant. An anointing ceremony – abhiṣeka – of the māna-stambha pillar found in front of Jain temples follows, with a final procession past the symbols of knowledge.
This three-part YouTube video records the festival at Mudalur, Tamil Nadu in India, held over 28th and 29th May 2009. This is the final part and you can watch the first part at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S2bcehoy-U
- Statue of a meditating Jina
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This idol of a Jina shows him in the characteristic lotus position of meditation. He has a serene half-smile on his face, elongated earlobes and curly hair. The severe style and lack of clothing indicates that the 11th-century statue belongs to the sect of the Digambaras. It may depict the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra. The photograph provided by the Philadelphia Museum of Art is accompanied by a brief audio commentary on the statue.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/64704.html?mulR=10908|7
- Statue of Malli
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This picture on Flickr is of a Digambara statue of Malli, the 19th Jina, seated on a lotus-flower pedestal. The statue's long earlobes signify the renunciation of wealth and worldly status. Depicted in the lotus pose of meditation with closed eyes, the sculpture exhibits the typical unadorned style of Digambara Jinas.
- Statue of Mallinātha
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This Flickr photo shows the 19th Jina, Mallinātha or Lord Malli. The statue's golden colour, closed eyes and severe style indicate that it belongs to the Digambara sect. Digambara Jains do not agree with the belief of the other main sect, the Śvetāmbaras, that Mallī is the only female Jina.
- Statue of Puṣpadanta or Suvidhi
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The temple at Kakandi in Uttar Pradesh, India, houses an idol of the ninth Jina, who is known as both Puṣpadanta and Suvidhi. Puṣpadantanātha or Lord Puṣpadanta was born in Kakandi and has been associated with the area since at least the late medieval period. His colourful emblem – lāñchana – of the crocodile is clearly visible on his cushion, above the auspicious auṃ carved on the pedestal.
- Sthanakvasis
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A description of the Śvetāmbara Sthānakavāsin sect is given in the Encyclopedia of Religion provided by the Division of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Cumbria, UK.
- Story of Śrīpāḷa and Mayṇāsundarī
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The Jain eWorld website provides the well-known tale of Śrīpāḷa and Mayṇāsundarī. The story illustrates that accepting karma, worshipping the siddhacakra or navapada and staying true to religious beliefs are crucial to being a good Jain and moving towards liberation. The tale is part of the epic Śrīpāḷ Rājāno Rās, which recounts Śrīpāḷa’s adventures after he is cured of leprosy. The story is a major element in the festival of Āyambil Oḷī, which focuses on religious devotion, especially revolving around the siddhacakra yantra, and marital happiness.
http://www.jaineworld.com/jain-stories/king-shripal-and-mayana-sundari/5/
- Sudatta and Yaśomati
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A zoomable manuscript painting in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art shows the Jain monk Sudatta receiving King Yaśomati. This 17th-century folio from a manuscript of the popular Jain tale Story of Yaśodhara has a picture of a royal procession on the verso side.
- Summary of the three gems
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The Religions section on the BBC website provides an outline of the three gems of the Jain faith.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/beliefs/threejewels.shtml
- Supreme Court upholds a Paryuṣaṇ ban
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Details of the Supreme Court of India's 2008 ruling to uphold the state government of Gujarat's ban on the operation of slaughterhouses and butchers during the Jain festival of Paryuṣaṇ. The CAclubindia.com provides this information in its Judiciary section.
- Sūri-mantra-paṭa
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The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts presents this colourful sūri-mantra-paṭa dating to the second half of the 17th century. Click on the picture to view the image in more detail.
Sūri-mantra-paṭas are yantras used only by Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjak monks, especially the Kharatara-gaccha and the Tapā-gaccha, when they reach the rank of sūri. Typically, this example depicts Indrabhūti Gautama, the first disciple of Mahāvīra, in the centre.
- Svastika during Paryuṣaṇ
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A svastika formed out of traditional clay lamps – dīpas in Sanskrit – is arranged on the petal-strewn floor of a temple during the festival of Paryuṣaṇ. The svastika is an ancient symbol of good luck and is frequently found in Jain temples, on religious equipment and on books, clothing and so on. The four dots among the arms of the svastika represent either the four states of existence or the parts of the fourfold community. Lasting eight days in late August or early September, Paryuṣaṇ is the most important Śvetāmbara Jain festival. This photograph on Flickr was taken in 2007.
- Śvetāmbara initation candidates in the crowd
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As part of the renunciation ceremony to become a monk or nun – dīkṣā – the initiation candidates pass through a joyful crowd, who throw sandalwood powder over them. The initiates have already shaven and plucked out their hair and wear the white monastic robe of Śvetāmbara mendicants. This undated ceremony on YouTube takes place in Gujarat.
- Śvetāmbara initiation candidate prepares
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A Śvetāmbara candidate for monkhood is prepared for the renunciation ceremony – dīkṣā. Note the tufts of hair left on his shaven head, ready for the keśa-loca ritual in which he pulls out his hair. This YouTube video in Hindi shows a ceremony that took place in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, on 27 November 2010.
- Svetāmbara Jina emblems
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This picture from the Jeevraksha blog gives the emblems – lāñchana – of the 24 Jinas according to the Svetāmbara sect.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xHZFB-N3uug/TNNW_DqmmeI/AAAAAAAAAzw/v43mxT0R1RY/s1600/jain_symbols2.jpg
- Śvetāmbara list of Triśalā’s dreams
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This community page on Facebook describes and interprets Queen Triśalā's dreams according to the Śvetāmbara sect. It also provides photographs of silver and gold sculptures of the dreams. Frequently found in temples, freestanding metal representations of the dreams are used in rituals among both Digambara and Śvetāmbara sects, such as the celebrations of Mahāvīr Jayantī. The 14 dreams of the Śvetāmbaras also play a role in their festival of Paryuṣan.
- Śvetāmbara monks and yantra
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This colourful 19th-century miniature painting depicts Śvetāmbara monks on one side and a yantra or auspicious diagram on the other. The 24 monks are named and sit in meditation. The yantra represents the samavasaraṇa – universal assembly – in which an omniscient Jina preaches to all sentient beings. The zoomable photograph of both sides of this artwork is on the website of the auctioneer Christie's.
- Taste, Smell and Touch Therapy
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HereNow4U provides an extract from Transmutation Of Personality Through Preksha Meditation that discusses the material nature of the concept of leśyā or soul colour. The excerpt takes the form of an interview with Ācārya Tulsi, the eighth leader of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin sect. Although he uses scripture to explain leśyās, Ācārya Tulsi considers the concept partly in the context of the 'insight meditation' – prekṣā dhyāna – of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanthins, which may also be practised by those who do not follow this sect.
- Temple at Kakandi
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The Jainsite website provides information about the temple to the ninth Jina in Kakandi. Called both Puṣpadanta and Suvidhi, the Jina was born in Kakandi and has been associated with the area since at least the late medieval period.
- Temple decorated for Dīvālī
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Jains commemorate the final liberation of the 24th Jina, Mahāvīra, in the festival of Dīvālī in late September or October. At Dīvālī, as in other festivals, statues and temples are lavishly decorated, as shown in this 2007 Flickr photograph of the Katraj temple in Pune, Maharashtra. Lights are festooned everywhere during the 'Festival of Lights', with both electric lighting and traditional clay lamps – dīpas – used. Examples of the ancient auspicious symbol of the svastika, with four dots representing the Jain community or the four states of existence, are clearly seen either side of the temple entrance.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darvekar/1978597664/in/set-72157603105954957/
- Temples and river at Mukta-giri
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Some of the temples at Mukta-giri are built either side of a river, in a valley. The white temples number 52 and are a popular pilgrimage site for Digambara Jains. Tourists are drawn by the natural beauty of the location, as captured in 2009 by this photograph on Flickr.
- Temples at Chandrapuri
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Information about the temples dedicated to Candraprabha in Chandrapuri in Uttar Pradesh is available on Jinalaya.com. The Śvetāmbara temple was built in 1832 while the Digambara temple was completed in 1856. The town is closely associated with the eighth Jina, who experienced four of his five auspicious events – pañca-kalyāṇaka – there.
- Temples at Mukta-giri
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The Digambara temples at Mukta-giri attract many pilgrims and are built in several groups each comprising eight or so shrines very close together. The Mukta-giri temples are found in the Satpura mountain range in central India. This 2011 photo on Flickr shows how green the valley is during the monsoon season.
- Temples of Gujarat
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Reprint of an article first published as Temples of North India by the Department of Information and Broadcasting in 1975. Offering a brief historical background, the piece summarises key architectural features of both Jain and Hindu temples in northern India.
Provided by Kamat's Potpourri.
http://www.kamat.com/database/content/temples/temples_of_gujarat.htm
- Terāpanthin monks and nuns
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This YouTube video shows Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin monks and nuns walking down a street in New Delhi in July 2009. Clad in white and wearing the mouth cloth – muṃhpatti – they walk barefoot, carrying their monastic equipment in bags and bundles. They are accompanied by lay Jains, many of the women dressed in orange, which is a holy colour in India. Among the monks is Ācārya Mahāprajña, the tenth ācārya or leader of the sect, who died in May 2010.
- The Anuvrat Movement: Theory and Practice
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The Digital Commons for Florida International University provides a downloadable copy of this MA thesis by Shivani Bothra, submitted in 2013.
- The Art Of Assuring A Fortunate Life In The Next Birth
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Acharya Mahashraman goes through some practices and attitudes that improve the chances of gaining a better condition – gati – in the next birth in the cycle of rebirths – saṃsāra. This chapter from his 2011 book Let Us Learn To Live is provided on the HereNow4U website.
- The Doctrine
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Colette Caillat, A. N. Upadhye and Bal Patil outline the central tenets of the Jain religion in this chapter from their 1974 work Jainism, including:
- the 'three gems'
- knowledge
- doctrine of 'truth from many viewpoints'
- tattvas
- soul
- karma
- leśyās
- cosmology
- cycles of time
- Jinas.
The online version is provided on the HereNow4U website.
- The Doctrine Of Karma – The Cycle Of Karma
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In this chapter from The Quest For Truth: In the context of Anekanta, Ācārya Mahāprajña of the Śvetāmbara Terāpanth sect looks at the relationship between soul and karma. First published in 2003, the book is available online on the HereNow4U website.
To move to the next page of the chapter, click on an arrow or slide the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- The Doctrine of Karma in Jain Philosophy
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HereNow4U presents chapter three of Bhagwaan Mahaveer Evam Jain Darshan, which discusses karma in Jainism. Originally written in Hindi by Mahavir Saran Jain in 2013, this book is translated into English by Pradyumna Shah Singh.
To move to another page, click on one of the arrows or slide the button along the scroll bar at the top and bottom of each page.
- The Jaina Doctrine of Karma And The Science Of Genetics
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This PhD thesis by Sohan Raj Tater examines how the Jain concept of karma relates to the science of genetics. The full text is available on the HereNow4U website.
- The Liberation
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In this chapter from his 1992 book Essence of Jainism, Manubhai Doshi goes into the Jain concept of liberation. The 2011 online version is presented on the HereNow4U website.
- The Message of the Religion of Ahimsa
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A. Chakravarti explains some of the key teachings of the Jain faith, which has the principle of ahiṁsā – non-violence – at its centre.
This text, which includes information on the 'three gems' and the Jinas, is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/ahimsamsg.htm
- Theory of Karma
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Anop R. Vora briefly outlines the concept of karma within the Jain religion. The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/karma.htm
- Theory Of Karma And Cycle Of Rebirth
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Manubhai Doshi looks at the Jain concepts of karma and the cycle of rebirth in this chapter from Essence of Jainism, first published in 1992. The online version is on the HereNow4U website.
- Thirumalai cave
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This 2011 YouTube video explores the cave temple at Thirumalai, near Arni in Tamil Nadu. The temple contain statues and inscriptions on rocks.
- Thirumalai temples
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The TamilJains website provides photographs of the Thirumalai site in Tamil Nadu. There are pictures of the cave temples, idols, inscriptions and paintings.
- Three monks crossing a river
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, presents this lavishly illustrated folio from a Kalpa-sūtra-Kālakācārya manuscript. Dating from the late 15th century, this western Indian picture demonstrates artistic developments that became common in later Indian paintings.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60050555
- Three-dimensional model of Jambū-dvīpa
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This slideshow from the Digambar Jain Trilok Shodh Sansthan – Digambar Jain Institute of Cosmographic Research – in Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh, shows photos of its three-dimensional model of Jambudweep – Jambū-dvīpa in Sanskrit – and other pictures of the institute. Some 70 metres across, the model of the first continent houses a 30-metre-tall Mount Meru up which visitors can climb.
http://www.jambudweep.org/gallery/jambudweep-campus-photo-gallery
- Tour of Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram
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This 2009 video on YouTube is a tour of the Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram, in Agas in Gujarat. Established in 1920, it is dedicated to the teachings of Śrīmad Rājacandra, a 19th-century mystic, poet and reformer. The video takes the viewer from the sign outside the main gate through one of the two temples on the site to the lecture hall, which displays photographs of and quotations from Rājacandra.
- Triśalā’s dreams
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The mothers of Jinas experience auspicious dreams indicating that their children will grow up to be great spiritual leaders. The Śvetāmbara sect lists 14 dreams while the Digambaras specify 16 dreams. This information was provided for the 1997 festival of Mahāvīr Jayantī by JAINA, made available on a faculty private page on the Colorado State University website.
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/j/dreams16/Dreams16.html
- Twelve lay vows
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Information about the 12 vows Jain lay people can take, provided by Pravin K. Shah on the website of the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/12vows.htm
- Two Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin samaṇī nuns
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This YouTube video dating from 2009 shows two Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin samaṇīs tallking about their religious background and beliefs. They hold folded cloths in front of their mouths while they speak. Normally Śvetāmbara Terāpanthin monks and nuns wear a mouthcloth – muṃhpatti – permanently over their mouths, hanging from strings over the ears. Samaṇīs have important roles in teaching the Jain diaspora.
- Types of ‘Great Men’
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Information about the types of śalākā-puruṣas or mahā-puruṣas – ‘great men’ – in traditional Jain stories is provided by the Shrimad website. This information is not considered to be correct by scholars but represents a popular contemporary understanding of the categories of the 'great men'.
- Types of Jain holy sites
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Shugan Chand Jain classifies Jain holy sites in this excerpt from his piece entitled 'Jain Festivals (Parva) and Jain Pilgrimage (Teerth yatra)-(B) Pilgrimage'. It forms part of the study notes offered by the International School for Jain Studies in 2009.
This extract was published on HereNow4U.net in 2008.
- Types of knowledge
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Hemant Shah outlines the types of knowledge in the Jain faith on the website of the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/jnana.htm
- University of Cambridge
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As one of the oldest centres of learning in the world and one of the most prestigious universities in the UK, Cambridge university has long had an outstanding academic reputation.
- Unversity of Oxford
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One of the oldest academic centres in the world and a leading British university, Oxford university has a prestigious academic pedigree.
- US Congressman speaking on ahiṃsā
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This video on YouTube shows US Congressman Dennis Kucinich giving a speech on the principle of ahiṃsā – non-violence.
- Vallamalai rock-cut figures
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This 2006 photograph on Flickr shows some of the rock-cut sculptures in the Jain cave in Vallamalai, Tamil Nadu. Most of the figures represent the 24 Jinas but there are also statues of other holy figures. One example is the yakśī Padmāvatī, who is on the bottom right, holding the ankuśa, a noose, a lotus and a fruit in her four hands. She is a very popular goddess who is worshipped in her own right, especially in southern India.
- Vallimalai cave entrance
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This 2006 photograph on Flickr captures the opening to the Jain cave temple in Vallamalai in Tamil Nadu. Caves may have been the first Jain religious places but have remained popular for meditation and worship ever since the early ones, created long before the Common Era.
- Vallimalai reliefs
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Rock-cut figures of Jinas inside the Jain cave temple at Vallimalai in Tamil Nadu. The sculptures probably date from the ninth century. This 2005 photograph is provided by Flickr.
- Variety of Sonā-giri temples
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This 2012 photograph on Flickr is a view of several temple compounds at Sonā-giri, showing the variety of temple architecture there. This temple-city has scores of temples and shrines, and is one of the main pilgrimage attractions in central India for followers of the Digambara sect.
- Vāsupūjya and his attendants
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An image of the 12th Jina Vāsupūjya accompanied by his yakṣa and yakṣī, the male and female deities who attend him and protect his teachings. The 12th Jina is shown meditating under a canopy at the centre of elephants, servants and lions, all symbols of royalty. He is surrounded by Jinas and other holy figures. Vāsupūjya's buffalo emblem is clear at the bottom of the sculpture in this photograph provided by the Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago in the USA.
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/aiis/aiis_search.html?depth=Get+Details&id=7446
- Vāsupūjya temple
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Information about the Digambara temple at Champapur in Bihar provided by the HereNow4U website. This site has long been a pilgrimage centre for devotees of the 12th Jina Vāsupūjya because all of his five auspicious events – kalyāṇakas – took place here.
- Vāsupūjya temple in Champapur
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Jainheritagecentres.com provides information about the Digambara temple in Champapur in Bihar, which is dedicated to the 12th Jina, Vāsupūjya. Background information about the surrounding area is also supplied.
https://www.jainheritagecentres.com/jainism-in-india/bihar/champapuri/
- Vāsupūjya under a tree
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Black-and-white photograph of Vāsupūjya, the 12th Jina, sitting under a tree in the lotus pose of meditation. The image is found in a niche of the Sambhavanātha temple at Kumbharia, and dates from the late 13th century. The Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago in the USA provides this photograph.
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/aiis/aiis_search.html?depth=Get+Details&id=69175
- Vāsupūjya, the 12th Jina
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Detail of an inscription and marble image of Vāsupūjya, the 12th Jina. From Cambay, Gujarat, this architectural fragment depicts the Jina and his attendants. The Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago in the USA provides this black-and-white photograph.
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/aiis/aiis_search.html?depth=Get+Details&id=81053
- Victoria and Albert Museum
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The V&A in London specialises in art and design. Its enormous collections include historical and contemporary sculptures, textiles, furniture, jewellery, photographs, drawings, books, prints, ceramics, glass- and metalwork, theatre and performance artefacts. It has extensive Asian holdings, including many illustrated Jain manuscripts, and is one of the JAINpedia partners.
- Vidyā-devīs at Ranakpur
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The 16 vidyā-devīs – goddesses of magical knowledge – are the largest figurative sculptures on the intricately carved domed ceiling of the temple at Ranakpur in Rajasthan. Click on the black-and-white photograph provided by the Digital South Asia Library at the University of Chicago in the USA to see the sculpture in more detail.
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/aiis/aiis_search.html?depth=Get+Details&id=30475
- View of Girnar temples and Junagadh
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This 2006 photograph on Flickr shows a view of the lower Jain temples on Mount Girnar. Beyond, on the plain, is the town of Junagadh.
- View of Sonā-giri
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This 2011 photograph on Flickr captures a view of the temples of Sonā-giri. The largest temple-city in central India, Sonā-giri comprises over 100 temples scattered over rolling hills in Madhya Pradesh.
- Views of pilgrimage site of Gwalior
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Photographs of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, including details of interior architecture and the numerous large statues of Jinas for which the site is famous.
Provided by the World Art Treasures, the Fondation Jacques-Edouard Berger in Lausanne, Switzerland.
(Input Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh in Search) - Views of Shatrunjaya temples
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Collection of photographs of the temple-city of Mount Shatrunjaya. The pre-eminent Śvetāmbara pilgrimage site, Shatrunjaya has nearly a thousand temples. The main temple is dedicated to Ṛṣabha, the first Jina, often called Ādinātha or First Lord. These photographs are presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Views of temples at Mukta-giri
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The Digambara temple-city of Mukta-giri has 52 temples. Found in Madhya Pradesh, this popular pilgrimage attraction is built in a valley instead of on a high place more usual for holy sites. These images are presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Views of the temple at Ranakpur
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One of the foremost Śvetāmbara pilgrimage sites, the main temple at Ranakpur has around 1,400 intricately carved marble columns. This collection of photographs of the Ādinātha temple at Ranakpur in Rajasthan is presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
- Views of the temples at Mount Girnar
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Collection of photographs of the temples found at Mount Girnar. The 22nd Jina, Neminātha or Lord Nemi, is closely associated with Mount Girnar, having renounced the world, gained omniscience and then final liberation here. There are 16 Jain temples on the site, which is sacred to both Jains and Hindus. These photographs are presented by Professor Frances W. Pritchett of Columbia University in New York.
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1000_1099/jaintemples/girnar/girnar.html
- Visit to Hutheesing temple
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Photos of the white marble Dharmanātha temple in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on the Dream Destinations blog. Probably better known as the Hutheesing temple, the building is named after its patron, Sheth Hutheesing, an affluent 19th-century merchant. The two-storey building contains 52 shrines but the main image – mūla-nāyaka – is of Dharmanātha or Lord Dharma, the 15th Jina.
http://diksoochi.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/hatheesing-temple-ahmedabad.html
- Wellcome Collection
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Part of the Wellcome Institute, the Wellcome Collection is one of the JAINpedia partners. Its extensive collections include historical and contemporary books, manuscripts, prints, paintings, photographs and films, with a bias towards science and medicine. The Wellcome holdings of Jain materials are small but valuable and interesting.
- Where Will You Go? What Will You Be In Your Next Birth?
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The text of a lecture delivered by Samani Prasanna Pragya in 2006 is presented on the HereNow4U website. In the lecture Samani Prasanna Pragya outlines the cycle of rebirth, karma and the classes of living beings.
- Will of Claude Martin
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The text of the will of Claude Martin is provided on Wikisource. French-born Martin had risen within the British East India Company to become a prominent figure in Lucknow in the late 18th century. A successful businessman and polymath, he was close to the ruling nawab and was an architect, amateur scientist, art connoisseur and collector of Indian cultural artefacts. He commissioned the Persian translation of the Karma-kāṇḍa or Karma-prakrti, one of the Highlights of JAINpedia.
- Worship at Shravana Belgola
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This short 2009 video films a worship ceremony – pūja – at the pilgrimage site of Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. The temple attendants perform the daily ritual bath – mastakābhiṣeka – on the small metal idol at the bottom of the 18-metre-high statue of Bāhubali, also called Gommaṭeśvara or ‘Lord of Gommaṭa. They trickle water on to the feet of the stone colossus and offer it to worshippers because the water is believed to have special properties after it has been used in the ceremony. The grand version of the rite – Mahā-mastakābhiṣeka or ‘Great head-anointing ceremony’ – is one of the most spectacular Jain festivals and takes place every 12 years, drawing thousands of pilgrims and sightseers. ifredpr uploaded this video to YouTube in 2011.
- Worship of R̥ṣabha
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The Los Angeles County Museum of Art provides an illustrated manuscript page showing the worship of R̥ṣabhanātha or Lord R̥ṣabha, the first Jina, at Mount Shatrunjaya. Shatrunjaya is a major pilgrimage site in Gujarat, especially for Śvetāmbara Jains.
- Yakshas and Yakshinis in Jainism
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This anonymous article on HereNow4U briefly discusses the origins and history of yakṣas and yakṣīs in the Jain faith. There are some photographs of a few of the popular yakṣas and yakṣīs and other deities.
- Yantra in human form
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Although this 19th-century yantra is damaged, the richly bejewelled figure in this drawing is clear. Inside his body is a diagram intended to help devotees meditate. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA, provides this zoomable photograph on its website.
- Young Indian Vegetarians
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Based in London, the Young Indian Vegetarians group promotes a vegetarian lifestyle and the ending of cruelty to animals. The website provides news of events and activities, useful links and selected editions of the Ahimsa newsletter to read online.
