Jain Digambara Tirthanhara Standing in Kayotsarga Meditation Posture

Jain Digambara Tirthanhara Standing in Kayotsarga Meditation Posture

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Deccan and Tamil Nadu were strongholds of the Digmabara sect—the "sky clad," or those who go naked. Jainism prospered in the south, attracting patronage from Pandyan and other rulers throughout the first millennium. Most images from that region depict jinas as committed renunciants, unencumbered by material possessions. Images of a tirthankara in the austerity meditation "body-abandonment" posture are among the most understated and beautiful of the period, and thus successfully embody the essence of the doctrine of renunciation of the material world.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jain Digambara Tirthanhara Standing in Kayotsarga Meditation PostureJain Digambara Tirthanhara Standing in Kayotsarga Meditation PostureJain Digambara Tirthanhara Standing in Kayotsarga Meditation PostureJain Digambara Tirthanhara Standing in Kayotsarga Meditation PostureJain Digambara Tirthanhara Standing in Kayotsarga Meditation Posture

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.