The Eleven Principal Disciples (Ganadharas) of Mahavira, Folio 57 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra (c. 1475–1500): Art, History and Details

The Eleven Principal Disciples (Ganadharas) of Mahavira, Folio 57 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra (c. 1475–1500) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The founder of Jainism, Mahavira, had 11 main disciples, all depicted as identical to one another. They all sit in a meditative posture, with the left hand in the lap, while the right hand is in the gesture of teaching. They each have shaven heads, elongated earlobes, and white robes, indicating that this manuscript was used by the Shvetambara (White Clad) sect. In the upper central grid, decorated with flowers, is a stylized om-hrim, mystic syllables visually combined to invoke the essence of all Jain teaching.

Object facts

• Title: The Eleven Principal Disciples (Ganadharas) of Mahavira, Folio 57 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra
• Date: c. 1475–1500
• Culture: Western India, Gujarat
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Overall: 12.5 x 25.7 cm (4 15/16 x 10 1/8 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1932.119.57.b

Collection credit

Edward L. Whittemore Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.