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Monk preaching to a disciple with a lay audience, folio 2 (recto) from a Parshvanatha Charitra (Life and Stories of Lord Parshva) of Bhavadeva-suri
c. 1275–1300
- Medium
- Gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Overall: 6.7 x 32.4 cm (2 5/8 x 12 3/4 in.)
- Culture
- Western India, Gujarat
- 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 scene of a senior monk teaching his disciple emphasizes the importance of oral transmission of stories and knowledge. Both wear the white robes of the Shvetambara sect, have whisk brooms for clearing the ground of living things, and hold shields in front of their mouths to prevent harm to insects that might fly in while they speak. Between them, on a tripod, rests a sacred manuscript with letters written on the side and flowers placed on top. Below, two women and two men, possibly the donors who paid for the production of the manuscript, press their hands together in veneration.
