Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c7.23

c7.23

The most interesting part of the panel is the decoration on the reverse in the double meander, with the interspaces between the loops filled with decorative patterns (Figs. 201—203). Beginning from the left, in the first loop facing downward compartment, is an elephant, in the second loop facing upward there is a pair of geese, in the third downward loop the details are chipped off, then are represented two Chinese dragons with a common face, their tails serving as the springing point of the meander, the details of the fourth loop downward are lost, in the fifth upward loop there is a pair of geese, in the sixth downward loop there is a lion, and in the seventh upward loop a pair of geese. Lotus flowers are shown springing from the body of the meander wherever looped compartments appear, the rest of the intervening spaces are filled with the arabesque. The perfect balance in the design and the lively representation of birds and beasts remind us of the similar decorative patterns at Ajaṇṭā, and are certainly not commonly met with in the mediæval Western Indian painting. This pattern once again proves the vestiges of the ancient Indian art in the painting of the 12th century.