Cleveland Museum of Art

Jain Temple, Calcutta

A. W. A. Plâté Studio

Date: c. 1890s
Medium: platinum print
Culture: Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, 19th century
Department: Photography
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

With the rise of Calcutta (now Kolkata) as an urban center in the 1800s, a jeweler named Rai Badridas Bahadur Mookim (1833–1913) relocated there from the northern Indian city of Lucknow, along with many other Jain merchants. He ordered the construction of this temple, studded with colored glass, dedicated to the 23rd Jina Parshva. It was completed in 1867. His portrait sculpture is seen from behind in the forecourt, under the domed pavilion. The annual festival of Paryushan is celebrated at this temple, where manuscripts—especially of the Kalpa-sutra —are displayed, carried in processions, and read aloud to the congregation.

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