This rare cloth painting depicts scenes from the life of Parsvanatha, the 23rd of the 24 tirthankaras in the Jain tradition. Tirthankaras, or jinas, are those who have attained moksha, or enlightenment, by perfecting the practice of self-denial and benevolence over many lifetimes. Parsvanatha was born in Benaras around 873 BCE where he founded an ascetic community to expand on ideals of ahimsa, or non-violence. Parsvanatha is represented here, atop the coil of his yaksha, or attendant deity, the serpent king Dhanendra. The serpent uses his many hoods to shelter the jina’s head, recalling a moment when Dhanendra protected Parsvanatha from a storm sent by the titan Meghamalin to break his meditation. Parsvanatha and Dhanendra are surrounded by cobra-topped female figures, likely the serpent king’s wives. The elephant-headed yaksha, Parsva, is depicted by the jina’s feet.
The present painting illustrates the most important scenes from the life of Parsvanatha. Parsvanatha’s birth is represented in the top left corner, next to an image of the jina meditating in heaven, before his descent. To the right, Parsvanatha’s final liberation at the siddhasaila (hill of perfection), where he is depicted upon a crescent moon atop a mountain. In the far right corner, we see the tirthankara standing undisturbed while facing attack by a wild elephant. The scene below depicts his initiation into the heavens, where he is hand carried on a palanquin and presenting a pluck of his hair to the god Indra. In the lower right corner, he is seated within a mandala, representing the samavasarana, or divine teaching hall of the gods.
Surviving examples of large Jain painting of this age and size are considerably rare. Generally, only manuscript paintings survive from this period, which do not allow for the level of artistic elaboration seen in the present painting. Compare the present painting to similar, albeit smaller, 15th century painting depicting the life of Parsvanatha in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (acc. no. 2003-143-1), which represents the same life stories. Although few examples survive, scholars have surmised that by the mid-15th century, elements of Jain painting, such as the ornamentation, line, figures and even the composition had become standardized through repeated and combined motifs. Life stories of the jinas followed a prescribed format pictorially allowing for interpretation of general and specific scenes easily recognized by the practitioner.