Birth of Mahavira: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

Birth of Mahavira: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Queen Trisala reclines on her bejeweled bed, with the newborn cradled in her arm, while a handmaid fans them. Overhead in the architectural canopy is set what appears to be a smokeless fire (the sun), emblematic of purity—one of the auspicious symbols that forecast Mahavira's birth. The birth scene is an enduring subject, appearing in all illustrated editions of the Kalpasutra. The queen's sari has a lotus-blossom meander pattern, typical of Gujarati textiles of this period; the Kalpasutra tells us that the queen dressed in fine silks and richly embroidered fabrics.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Birth of Mahavira: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptBirth of Mahavira: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptBirth of Mahavira: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptBirth of Mahavira: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptBirth of Mahavira: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

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.