Visual Culture in Jaina Kalpasutra

Dec 19, 2003, 12.00am IST
Amrit Gangar.


The Kalpasutra is held in great honour especially by the Svetambara sect of Jainism. A work in Prakrit, its composition is originally attributed to the celebrated author Bhadrabahu (BC 433 to 357).


The Kalpasutra shows the early stage of the development of Jainism, the succession of pontiffs and the rules for Jaina monks during the four months of monsoon or chaturmasa when the monks are not on the move. The text records the five auspicious events — the descent from heaven, birth, initiation, obtaining of omniscience, and death — and many legends of the last three Pathfinders or Tirthankaras: Aristanemi, Parsvanatha, and Mahavira, and those of Rishabhanatha, the first of the 24 Tirthan-karas. The arrangement of Bhadrabahu’s book moves back in time.

The tradition of 24 Tirthankaras became established among the Jainas around the first or second century AD though its older roots are not denied. As an illuminated manuscript, the Kalpasutra, representative of Jaina visual culture, contains some masterpieces of Jaina miniature paintings. The western Indian Jaina miniatures have left a significant mark in subsequent Indian painting.

An illuminated manuscript is a handwritten book that is embellished with brilliant inks and dyes — largely silver and gold. During the middle ages, many such manuscripts were created in the monasteries in different parts of the world. Illuminated manuscripts came in many forms and certain characteristics of these forms were essentially global. The brilliance of gold symbolises transcendental light. The calligraphy in some illuminated manuscripts of the Qur’an, for example, consists entirely of gold.

European scholars have compared the Kalpasutra’s hagiographic manuscript with the Christian Book of Hours. According to A Dieter, the two manuscripts resemble in division of sections: “The Book of Hours devotes sections to the important events in the Virgin Mary’s life and the calendar of saints, similarly, the Kalpasutras of the 15th and 16th centuries had a Jinacarita that illustrated the auspicious events in the lives of important Jaina figures. As each of the Christian saints is illustrated with their own symbols, the pictures of the Jains are accompanied by illustrations of their specific symbols”.

Among many other details, the Kalpasutra gives a list of 42 rainy seasons spent by Mahavira since he renounced the life of a householder. He stayed the first chaturmasa in Asthikagrama, three in Champa and Pristichampa, 12 in Vaisali and Vanijyagrama, 14 in Rajagraha and Nalanda, six in Mithila, two in Bhadrika, one in Alabhika, one in Panitabhumi, one in Sra-vasti and the last one in the town of Papa in king Hastipala’s chamber.

The Kalpasutra is significant for its narration of geographical locations most of which have been identified to be in the modern state of Bihar and some parts of Bengal and UP. A major portion is devo-ted to the biography of Mahavira and includes details of his birth, lineage, parentage, childhood, marriage and journey to asceticism and finally, his death. Before his birth, Mahavira’s mother is said to have seen a number of dreams. The Kalpa- sutra describes 14 dreams.

This important Jaina canonical text is the oldest available on the life of the Tirthankaras. Once a year during the auspicious Paryusana festival, a Kalpasutra manuscript is taken out in procession and read by the monks before the laity. Great merit is attributed to hearing the Kalpasutra.