Mahavira Plucks Out His Hair

Gallery 331, Asian Art, third floor (Dutt Gallery)

Main Building

Mahavira Plucks Out His Hair

c. 1450

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Mahavira, who lived in the sixth century B.C., was the last of the twenty-four Jain savior saints, or jinas. Mahavira renounced his princely heritage to become a monk and a great teacher of Jainism. This illustration depicts the critical moment when Mahavira, on the left, chooses to adopt a monastic life. He strips himself of his worldly luxuries, lives in a wild forest, and wears only simple clothing. His ears, once stretched by heavy jewelry, are now bare. Mahavira's arm is raised to pluck out his hair, a sign that he rejects vanity. The god Indra witnesses Mahavira's noble sacrifice, and praises him for adopting the ideal of ascetic life. In this way, Mahavira reveals a path for other spiritual seekers.

Gallery 331, Asian Art, third floor (Dutt Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

Mahavira Plucks Out His Hair
Page from a manuscript of the Kalpasutra (Story of the Jina Mahavira)

Date:

c. 1450

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 4 7/8 × 11 1/2 inches (12.4 × 29.2 cm)

Classification:

Books/Manuscripts/Information Artifacts

Credit Line:

Gift of Howard A. Wolf, 1976

Accession Number:

1976-191-1(42a,b)

Geography:

Made in Gujarat, India, Asia

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Gallery 331, Asian Art, third floor (Dutt Gallery)

Main Building

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