Minneapolis Institute of Art

Cosmic Parsvanatha

Jain artist

Date: c. 1525
Medium: Colors on cotton
Culture: Jain
Department: Asian Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art

This extremely rare painting is a type of meditative picture consisting of a cosmic diagram superimposed on the seated figure of Parsvanatha, one of the principal deities of the Jain religion. Similar in concept and function to Buddhist mandalas, the mystic diagram is dominated by linked squares and circles representing the Jain cosmos. The nine interconnected circles represent the continents, mountains, and rivers of the universe. Symmetrically balanced on either side of Parsvanatha are subsidiary Jain deities, written mantras, and the plants and animals of the mortal realm. India, Asia

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