The Kalpasutra art has its origin acclaimedly in the 5th century. It is further claimed that the Kalpasutras, though on a different medium, were part of the same sectarian art tradition as were the ancient murals of Ajanta, Bagh and other monasteries. However, the earliest known Kalpasutras do not go beyond the 10th century and the number of the reported ones from the period from the 10th to 13th centuries is very small. The greater bulk of Kalpasutra paintings emerges from 14th to mid-16th centuries. These Kalpasutras are mostly from Western India, Gujarat, Rajasthan and the western region of Malwa. The Mandu (Malwa, now in Madhya Pradesh) Kalpasutras of 1439 and some of their contemporary renderings from Gujarat and western Rajasthan, Mewar and Marwar, are all masterpieces of Indian miniature art.
This Kalpasutra folio is in the tradition of Gujarat Kalpasutras of 12th and 13th centuries. As the tradition had it, this painting, a late version of ancient Kalpasutra art, has been divided into three compartments. The cabin on right side enshrines Thirthankara Parshvanath. Three-sided rectangular frame decorated with zigzag designing pattern and vine with swan like birds on its leaves mounting it on deity's right and left defines the sanctum where the deity has been symbolically installed. The deity image has in its front the image of a gana with folded hands.
The space in the centre has been assigned, as usual, to the textual part. This central portion has on its top and bottom decorated octagons, the symbol of time and space and thereby of the cosmos. The eight divisions of the octagon symbolise the eight divisions of the day-and-night. The inside figure of a crab adds to this octagon four further dimensions making a total of twelve, which collate with the twelve divisions of zodiac. Thus symbolically it represents time and space and the crab the life in relation to them, that is, life, till crab like it remains attached to this world, to the cycle of life and death, is destined only to crawl and that it is only by following the path of renunciation like Parshvanath that the salvation is attained.
The space on left has been divided into upper and lower chambers. The upper chamber has four devotees worshipping an elephant installed deity-like inside a sanctum. The elephant consisting of a bull like tail and lion like hind part combines in its form a bull, the sacred emblem of the first Thirthankara Adinath, and a lion, the emblem of the last Thirthankara Mahavira. The elephant stands for righteousness and Ahimsa, the non-violence, in Jain theology. Thus, the devotees, by worshipping this elephant image, are paying their homage to all Jain thankaras from Adinath to Mahavira and to its greatest religious principles, the parmodharma. The lower chamber contains a Jain monk explaining to devotees cardinal truths and the way to arrive at salvation. .
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi.
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