Mahavira's Samavasarana: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

Mahavira's Samavasarana: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mahavira is installed at the center of his congregation platform, or samavasarana, preaching to the universe. Upon his attaining perfect knowledge and thus becoming a perfected being (siddha), an elevated preaching space of three walls (of gold, silver, and jewels) was created for the jina. At the center is a platform with four lion thrones beneath a tree, each facing a jeweled gate; Mahavira faces east and the other three thrones are occupied by sculptures of him.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mahavira's Samavasarana: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptMahavira's Samavasarana: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptMahavira's Samavasarana: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptMahavira's Samavasarana: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptMahavira's Samavasarana: 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.