Seated Jain Tirthankara
India, (Gujarat or Rajasthan), Solanki period, 11th century
White marble
Height 39 inches
1992.131
Like the Buddha on the previous page, this figure is seated in a
yogic cross-legged posture, right leg in front of left leg, right
hand over the left, both resting on the lap in the meditational posture
of dhyanamudra. He is alert but relaxed, focused on his meditation.
He is seated on a cushion covered with scrolling floral forms.
Jainism, the third great religion in India (along with Hinduism and
Buddhism), arose around the same time period as Buddhism (6th century
BCE). Its teachings center around the fundamental dualism between
matter and spirit. (Arvind Sharma, "Jainism", groveart.com)
There are 24 masters, known as thirthankaras or "ford-builders"
across the ocean of suffering, who are able to obtain the highest
knowledge after discarding all worldly attachments, including clothes.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Central Catalog, New York, New York.
Lerner, Martin. "Seated Jain Tirthankara", The Bulletin
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, v. 51, Fall 1993, p. 92.
Shah, U.P. "Jaina", The Grove Dictionary of Art Online,
ed. L. Macy (Accessed 17 September 2002), <http://www.groveart.com>
Sharma, Arvind. "Jainism", The Grove Dictionary of Art
Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 17 September 2002), <http://www.groveart.com>
