The Kalpa-sūtra is the most frequently illustrated Jain text of the Śvetāmbara sect. It is read and recited by monks in the Śvetāmbara festival of Paryuṣaṇ, which takes place in August to September each year.
The Kālakācārya-kathā – Story of the religious teacher Kālaka – is frequently found as an appendix to the Kalpa-sūtra because the last part explains how Kālaka changed the date of Paryuṣaṇ. This tale emphasises the connection between religious practice and magical abilities.
The annual festival of Paryuṣaṇ was moved from the fifth day of the bright half of the month Bhādrapada – roughly equivalent to August to September – to the fourth.
The author, or authors, of the Kalpa-sūtra is unknown, although it is attributed to Bhadrabāhu. The version of the Kālakācārya-kathā here is that of Bhāvadeva-sūri, a Śvetāmbara author of the 13th century CE.
This manuscript of the Kalpa-sūtra is fully digitised on the Gallica Bibliothèque numérique website, part of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library of France) in Paris. Though the website is available in English, the information about the artefact is in French.
British Library. Or. 13959. Unknown author. 1639
British Library. Or. 12744. 1522. Unknown author.
Victoria and Albert Museum. IM 161-1914. Unknown author. 16th century
Wellcome Trust Library. Beta 365. Bhāvadeva. Probably 15th to 16th centuries