Shantinatha Charitra is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
text of the
ÅšvetÄmbara sect of
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
that describes the life of 16th ''
tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''SaṃsÄ ...
''
Shantinatha
ÅšÄntinÄtha () or ÅšÄnti is the sixteenth of Jainism in the present age (). According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aćira of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the north Indian city of Hastinapur. His birth date i ...
. It was written by Acharya Ajitprabhasuri in 1397 CE. This text has been registered into
Memory of the World Programme
UNESCO's Memory of the World (MoW) Programme is an international initiative to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, decay over time and climatic conditions, as well as deliberate destruction. It ca ...
by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
.
History
This text was written in 1397 C.E. by
ÅšvetÄmbara
The ÅšvetÄmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''ÅšvetÄmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...
monk ''Acharya'' ''Ajitprabhasuri'' on paper-palm leaves and was inherited by late ''Muni Punyavijayji'' through his family. He then donated it to
Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology
Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum, abbreviated L. D. Museum, is a museum of Indian sculptures, bronzes, manuscripts, paintings, drawings, miniature paintings, woodwork, bead work and ancient and contemporary coins in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Histor ...
in 1961.
Description
The manuscript talks about peace, non-violence and brotherhood through examples from
Shantinatha's previous births and the final birth as a
Tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''SaṃsÄ ...
. It is a biographical text that adheres to the beliefs of the
ÅšvetÄmbara
The ÅšvetÄmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''ÅšvetÄmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...
tradition. and was composed and written in the late 14th century. This is the oldest example of miniature painting. These illustrations are beautifully drawn in multi-colour and are examples of a highly evolved style of painting. It contains 10 images of scenes from the life of Shantinatha in the style of Jain paintings from
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
. The text contains miniature paintings drawn in multi-colour. This is the oldest example of Jain miniature painting. The ink used in the manuscript is gum lampblack and white paint made from mineral silver. This heritage document is written in
Devanagari script
Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ancient '' BrÄhmÄ«'' script. It is one of the official scripts of India an ...
.
See also
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Shantinatha
ÅšÄntinÄtha () or ÅšÄnti is the sixteenth of Jainism in the present age (). According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aćira of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the north Indian city of Hastinapur. His birth date i ...
*
Jain art
Jain art refers to religious works of art associated with Jainism. Even though Jainism has spread only in some parts of India, it has made a significant contribution to Indian art and architecture.
In general Jain art broadly follows the cont ...
*
Jain literature
Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which are wri ...
References
Citation
Source
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Further reading
Jain texts
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