Articles & Blog
207 articles
Jain Art under the Kushan Empire
Under Kushan rule in the first three centuries CE, the Mathura workshops produced a mature Jain iconography that would set conventions for c...
Jainism in the Gupta Age
During the Gupta era Jainism produced classical sculpture and enduring philosophy, even as Brahmanical revival reshaped the religious landsc...
The Rashtrakutas and Jain Flourishing
The Rashtrakuta emperors of the Deccan, ruling from the eighth to tenth centuries, were among the most generous patrons Jainism ever enjoyed...
The Colossus of Gommateshwara at Shravanabelagola
Commissioned by the minister Chamundaraya around 981 CE, the monolithic Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is among the largest freestandin...
The Western Ganga Dynasty and Jainism
The Western Gangas of Talakad ruled southern Karnataka for centuries as steadfast patrons of Jainism, culminating in the great Bahubali stat...
The Chalukyas and Jain Patronage in the Deccan
From Badami to Kalyani, successive Chalukya dynasties patronised Jainism alongside other faiths, endowing temples and supporting Jain schola...
Kumarapala and Hemachandra in Gujarat
The Solanki king Kumarapala, guided by the polymath Hemachandra, made twelfth-century Gujarat a Jain realm where non-violence became state p...
The Marble Temples of Dilwara at Mount Abu
Built by the ministers Vimal Shah and the brothers Vastupala and Tejpal between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, the Dilwara temples a...
Jainism under the Hoysala Kings
The Hoysalas of Karnataka, whose own dynasty sprang from Jain associations, patronised the faith through temples and ministers before shifti...
The Samanars: Jainism in Ancient Tamil Nadu
Jain ascetics, known in Tamil as Samanars, shaped early Tamil culture, and cave inscriptions in Tamil-Brahmi record their presence from befo...
The Jain Frescoes of Sittanavasal
The rock-cut cave at Sittanavasal in Tamil Nadu preserves rare early medieval Jain paintings, among the finest surviving murals of ancient S...
The Jain Rock Sculptures of Kalugumalai
At Kalugumalai in Tamil Nadu, rows of Tirthankara images carved into a granite hill record a vibrant Jain community under Pandya rule in the...