A Catalogue Of Sanskrit And Prakrit Manuscripts In The Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute Jodhpur Collection Bikanera Sangraha

Author : Jack C. Laughlin
Publisher : Peter Lang Group Ag, International Academic Publishers
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Download or read book Ārādhakamūrti/Adhiṣṭhāyakamūrti written by Jack C. Laughlin and published by Peter Lang Group Ag, International Academic Publishers. This book was released on 2003 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many aspects of Medieval Western Indian temple art have been the subject of scholarly attention. One type of temple-image which has been identified but heretofore unstudied is the portrait. This study brings together evidence of more than 200 images of historical lay people and ascetics from the medieval temples of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The author emphasizes Jain specimens, but also includes a number of notable Hindu examples. However, it is the evidence of the Jain portraits that is by far the most significant. This book provides some startling insights into the beliefs and practices of the Śvetāmbara sect of Jainism in a period from about the 12th to 17th centuries. The analysis of lay portraits illuminates some very significant episodes in this period of Jain history. The discussion of monks' portraits presents much that is contrary to expectation. Evidence indicates that even Jain monks donated portraits of other monks. This is surprising since gifting is a practice commonly thought to be a lay prerogative and not allowed to ascetics. The reasons for these monastic donations are discussed and investigated, and reveal that the worldview of medieval Jain monks was often something very different from that portrayed in much of Jain scholarship to date.