This page consists of stanzas 62 to 63 of this Sanskrit version of the popular story of Kālaka.
At the left is a Jain monk wearing the typical Śvetāmbara monastic robe. He is on a slightly raised seat and holds the cotton broom under his arm. In one of his hands he holds the mouth-cloth, which he has taken off to talk.
Between him and the man standing to the right at the lower level is the sthāpanācārya. A kind of tripod that symbolises the Jain teaching, it is often used in pictures as a substitute for the teacher.
An elderly man, with white hair and beard, leans on a stick to walk. He gestures towards the tripod, showing that he is talking to the monk.
The Jain monk is the Ācārya Kālaka. The figure on the right is the god Śakra or Indra. He is shown disguised as an old man. In this episode in the story of Kālaka, Śakra disguises himself so he can test the knowledge and abilities of the respected teacher Kālaka. The god tests him by asking him to teach about the nigodas – the most minute beings in the universe.
There are several notable things about this page, which is not in perfect condition as the edges are slightly torn.
The Kālaka story is often an appendix to Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts. In many Kalpa-sūtra manuscripts, there is a clear intention to make the manuscript a valuable and remarkable object in itself. This often holds true for the manuscripts of the Kālaka story as well. Here this aim is signalled by the:
There is a single ornamental diamond because this is the recto side of a folio.
This version of the Kālaka story is told in poetry. Verse numbers are at the end of each stanza. They are often in red, like here. Number 62 is visible on line 4. This means that this page contains verse 62 and part of verse 63
The elaborate script used is the Jaina Devanāgarī script, which is here like calligraphy. There are a few notable features of this script.
Firstly, it is an old type in the way the sounds e and o are notated when used with a consonant, known as pṛṣṭhamātrā script.
There are red vertical lines within the text marking out verse divisions. Single red vertical lines indicate where a verse is divided in two, while double red vertical lines are found at the end of the verse.
The Kālakācārya-kathā – Story of the religious teacher Kālaka – emphasises the connection between religious practice and magical abilities. As an accomplished Jain teacher, Kālaka can master various magical sciences and transmute brick into gold. He uses his powers to help the Śakas, a foreign population. In exchange, the Śakas help him destroy the wicked King Gardabhilla.
This eventful tale belongs to the Śvetāmbara Jain tradition. It is known in several versions in various languages and is often illustrated.The one in this manuscript is an anonymous text in Sanskrit verse, but the first seven stanzas are missing. Also missing are folios 191 to 197, corresponding to stanzas 33 to 61.
This version is known as Śrīvīra-vākyānumatam from its starting words. It is a short recension, where the story is told in simple language without poetical embellishments. By an unknown author, it is one of the most popular versions of the Kālaka story.
The pages or folios under this shelfmark belong to different manuscripts. The folios show a variety of handwriting, language and artistic style and are on noticeably different paper.
The folios are from four separate manuscripts, as follows:
There is also a manuscript holder made for an unknown manuscript.
It is not known what has happened to the rest of each manuscript.
Copies of the Kalpa-sūtra and Kālakācārya-kathā are often made in a single manuscript, which may be why these folios were bundled together. At some point in the past these folios and the manuscript holder were put into a box at the British Library and labelled ‘Frags. of Jain Mss. Skt. / Pkt.’ meaning 'Fragments of Jain manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit'. However, it is important to remember that they do not belong together.
The richly decorated page of a manuscript of the Śvetāmbara Kālakācārya-katha contains the text of the story of ‘the religious teacher Kālaka'. Although it does not have a conventional illustration, the lavishly coloured page boasts figures in the side margins, floral borders and silver writing. Held in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the 14th-century folio is from Gujarat. The whole tale relates how Prince Kālaka is inspired to become a monk and goes through various adventures in which his religious practice gives him magical powers.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/96057.html?mulR=32227|10
The first page of a manuscript of the Śvetāmbara Kālakācārya-katha shows King Vajrasiṃha and Queen Surasundarī of Dharāvāsa in conversation. Held in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the 14th-century folio is from Gujarat and relates the tale of ‘the religious teacher Kālaka'. This legend describes how Prince Kālaka is inspired to become a monk and goes through various adventures in which his religious practice gives him magical powers.
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/96046.html?mulR=32227|8
The Śvetāmbara monk Kālaka and the king of the gods, Śakra, discuss Jain doctrine. The National Gallery of Australia provides this highly decorated page from a 15th-century manuscript of the Kālakācāryakathā.
http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=3131&View=LRG
British Library. I.O. San. 3177. Unknown author. 1437
British Library. Or. 13475. Unknown author. Perhaps 15th century
Wellcome Trust Library. Beta 365. Bhāvadeva. Probably 15th to 16th centuries
British Library. I.O. San. 3177. Unknown author. 1437
British Library. Or. 13475. Unknown author. Perhaps 15th century