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The Monk Gautama, Enthroned: Folio 2 (recto), from a Kalpa-sutra and Story of Kalakacharya of Devachandra
1279
- Medium
- gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Overall: 4.4 x 35.2 cm (1 3/4 x 13 7/8 in.)
- Culture
- Western India, Gujarat, Patan (Anahillapura), reign of King Sarangadeva of the Vaghela dynasty (1275-1297)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
The text on this rare, early manuscript page tells of the birth of Mahavira, but the painting is that of a monk, seated in the yogic posture of meditation and making the gesture of recitation and discourse with his right hand. He wears a white robe, and over his shoulders is a broom that he would use to sweep the ground before him as he walks, to ensure he does not inadvertently harm a tiny creature. Strict adherence to nonviolence is a major tenet of the Jain religion.
