Unknown Artist
The fourteen auspicious dreams of Queen Trishala, a folio from A folio from the Kalpasutra
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
The most popular of all the Jain scriptures was the 'Kalpasutra', or 'Book of precepts', which is believed to have been composed around 300BCE. This sutra is a biography of the last 'jina', or Jain 'conqueror', Mahavira (c599-527 BCE) and this scene from the 'Kalpasutra' illustrates Mahavira's mother Queen Trishala's dream in which she sees 14 auspicious objects that allude to the miracle of Mahavira's birth. The objects are: a lion, an elephant, a bull, the goddess Lakshmi, a pair of garlands, the moon, the sun, a banner, an overflowing pot, a lake with lotuses, the milky ocean, a celestial chariot, a heap of jewels and a smokeless fire. These are symbols of kingship or sovereignty and indicate the importance of the newborn child.
The Asian Collections, AGNSW, 2003, pg.36.
- Place of origin
-
Gujarat,
India
- Cultural origin
- Jain Manuscript
- Year
- early 16th century
- Media
- Manuscripts, Miniature, Watercolour
- Medium
- opaque watercolour with gold on paper
- Dimensions
- 11.0 x 7.5cm image; 11.0 x 26.0cm sheet
- Signature & date
- Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 1969
- Accession number
- EP2.1969
