Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c6.142

c6.142

ILLUSTRATED manuscripts both on palm-leaf and paper, paintings on cloth and painted wooden book-covers, dating from the 12th century and onwards, are found mostly in Jain collections. The earliest known specimens as well as the greatest number appear in the Śvetāmbara Jñāna Bhaṇḍārs in Gujarāt, and for this reason their style has been variously designated as ‘Jain’ or ‘Śvetāmbara Jain’ and ‘Gujarāt’. Mr. Sarabhai Nawab, in order to avoid controversy, has designated the style as ‘Gujarāt school under the patronage of the Jains’, which is a sort of compromise between the hieratic and provincial designations of the style. Rai Krishnadāsa calls it ‘Apabhramśa school’, his analogy being drawn from the field of linguistics where ‘Apabhramśa’ denotes the popular language as opposed to Sanskrit, the language of the cultured. Now let us examine the arguments of the scholars in favour of their respective designations before we hazard our own opinion.