Art in Jain Cosmology – Painting of Loknar or Lok Purush

Every religion has its own set of beliefs but few have their beliefs manifested prolifically in art forms as Jainism (& Buddhism). Conveying the philosophy is paintings and drawings on cloth, on scrolls and on walls is an ancient practice in Jainism.

The Jain Sutras are famous for the paintings present on the their folios.

An example is the painting of the Lokpurush or Loknar, on a very rare  17th century folio  Jain Sutra.

The drawing is not just a painting for the sake of art. It contains deep explanations of Jain cosmology using the  symbol of the cosmic man – with each component depicting an aspect of the universe in the Jain belief.

(from Wikipedia)

It is a subject worth exploring further when time permits!

jm

Feb 2014