Aristanemi's Bridal Pavilion (top) and Witnessing Animals for Slaughter (bottom): Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

Aristanemi's Bridal Pavilion (top) and Witnessing Animals for Slaughter (bottom): Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Aristanemi, the incarnate twenty-second jina Neminatha, is shown on horseback approaching the pavilion in which his bride, Rajamati, awaits. She is beautifully attired in anticipation of his arrival. He is similarly dressed and garlanded in preparation for the marriage ceremony. Upon hearing the cries of distressed animals corralled for slaughter for the wedding feast, he flees on his chariot, and his compassion determines that he henceforth will live as a mendicant. He attained siddha-hood and joined the ranks of the tirthankharas.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Aristanemi's Bridal Pavilion (top) and Witnessing Animals for Slaughter (bottom): Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptAristanemi's Bridal Pavilion (top) and Witnessing Animals for Slaughter (bottom): Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptAristanemi's Bridal Pavilion (top) and Witnessing Animals for Slaughter (bottom): Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptAristanemi's Bridal Pavilion (top) and Witnessing Animals for Slaughter (bottom): Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptAristanemi's Bridal Pavilion (top) and Witnessing Animals for Slaughter (bottom): 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.