Jinas
Veneration of the 24 Jinas is the most significant devotional focus in Jainism. These perfected-beings serve as role models to guide the faithful on the proper path to liberation from the endless cycles of rebirth. While all are revered as great teachers, four of the Jinas occupy the most exalted positions and have received particular attention in textual and artistic portrayals.
- Rishabhanatha, the 1st Jina, is believed to have invented fire, castes, and the arts; he is identifiable by his long locks of hair.
- Neminatha, the 22nd Jina, is regarded as a cousin of the Hindu deities Krishna and Balarama and is revered for his exceptionally strong commitment to non-violence.
- Parsvanatha, the 23rd Jina, was a great teacher said to have lived in the 8th century BC. He is recognised by the seven-hooded cobra canopy over his head; his beneficial association with serpents parallels that of the Buddha.
- The most recent Jina is Mahavira (about 599-527 BC), a contemporary of the Buddha, who was instrumental in fostering the Jain faith as a reaction against the established caste system and its associated sacrificial rituals.
The conceptual basis for the image of a Jina is the pan-Indian ideal of the yogic or ascetic wanderer. Jinas are always shown in the seated posture or the standing body-abandonment pose (kayotsarga). The latter is position uniquely Jain and combines vigorous austerity and non-violence through immobility, thereby avoiding even accidental injury to other creatures. Perhaps because Jain images are often indistinguishable from those of the Buddha, a distinctive chest mark (srivatsa) was introduced to establish a deity's identity as a Jina.
Early in their history, due in part to a conflict over what constitutes total renunciation, Jainism split into two groups: the Svetambaras (meaning 'white clad' or clothed) and the Digambaras ('sky clad' or naked).
The Digambaras are the more austere sect and their monks consider any possessions, including clothing, a hindrance to spiritual liberation.
Download: Jina fact file (PDF file, 359.0 KB)Other Jain deities
While the Jinas are the highest venerated members of the Jain pantheon, there are many other deities and subsidiary divinities portrayed in Jain art. These include gods and goddesses, guardian spirits and celestial beings who, it is assumed, came to be worshipped as a result of exchanges of ideas with Hinduism and Buddhism. All India's early religions shared a common ancestry in the nature cults of the ancient Vedic period.
While many of the secondary members of the Jain pantheon are shared with the Hindus and Buddhists, Jain artistic representations generally emphasise only their benign forms, due to the principle of non-violence.
Click on an image below to find out more about Jain deities and how they are represented in Jain art.
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Page from a Kalpasutra manuscript, 16th century. Museum no. IS.84-1963
Page from a Kalpasutra manuscript depicting Indra ordering Harinegamesin to exchange the embryo of Mahavira from Devananda's womb to Trishala's
Western India
16th centuryOpaque watercolour and gold on paper
Museum no. IS.84-1963The chief of the earliest Indian gods, Indra (also known as Sakra in many Jain texts), figures prominently in the lives of the Jinas.
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Detail of Victory Banner (upper register), 1447. Museum no. IM.89-1936
Detail of Victory Banner (Jayantra Yantra) showing the gods Ganesha, Brahma, Siva, Visnu and Sarasvati (upper register)
1447
Gujarat, India
Gouache, ink and gold on cotton
Museum no. IM.89-1936The Hindu and Buddhist goddess of knowledge, Sarasvati, was incorporated into the Jain pantheon at a very early date. She remains one of the most important goddesses, due no doubt to the Jains' belief in the central role of knowledge in gaining the profound wisdom necessary to break the cycle of rebirth.
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Relief depicting Ganesa, early 11th century. Museum no. IM.103-1916
Relief depicting Ganesa
Palitana, gujarat, western India
Early 11th century
Buff-coloured sandstone, carved in high relief
Museum no. IM.103-1916Other popular deities who are also worshipped by Hindus include Sri Laksmi, the goddess of good fortune and prosperity, and Ganesa, the elephant-headed god who helps to overcome obstacles. He is worshipped at the beginning of undertakings such as a journey, a business venture or a period of study.
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Page from a Kalpasutra manuscript depicting Parsvanatha and Dharanendra, Late 15th - early 16th century. Museum no. IS.46-1959 (f.56)
Page from a Kalpasutra manuscript depicting Parsvanatha on an elephant releasing Dharanendra from fire penance (above) and (below) Dharanendra sheltering Parsvanatha
Gujarat, western India
Late 15th- early 16th century
Opaque watercolour on paper
Museum no. IS.46-1959 (f.56)Male and female nature spirits (yakshas and yakshis) are depicted in Jain art as guardian spirits who attend the Jinas. They are sometimes the focus of independent cults among the laity. Dharanendra is unique among the Jain yakshas because of his crucial role in sheltering the Jina Parsvanatha during his penance. As well as being considered a yaksha, Dharanendra is also a naga or serpent-king, and is often depicted as a multi-headed snake.
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Goddess Ambika, Orissa
Goddess Ambika
Orissa, eastern India
12th century
Grey chlorite
Museum no. IS.61-1963The most popular of all the yakshis is Ambika, who is venerated for her powers of fertility and maternity
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Detail of Padmavati on image of Parsvanatha, sculpture
Detail of Padmavati on image of Parsvanatha (bottom right of image)
Chakravarti Paloja
Sculpture
Gulbarga, southern India
12th century
Black shale
Museum no. 931(IS)The next yakshis in popularity, after Ambika, are Cakresvari and Padmavati (shown here). Cakresvari and Padmavati are the yakshis of Rishabhanatha and Parsvanatha respectively.
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Celestial Drummer (Gandharva), Halebid
Celestial Drummer (Gandharva)
Halebid, Karnataka, southern India
13th century
Potstone
Musuem no. IM.302-1920The largest group within the Jain pantheon (after the deities that also worshipped by Hindus and the yakshas and yakshis nature spirits), consists of celestial beings such as the goddesses of magical powers (vidyadevis), who preside over esoteric rites and number as many as 48,000; heavenly musicians (gandharvas), as shown here, who attend and extol the Jinas and divine attendants serving as honorific flywhisk bearers.
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Nine planetary deities from a Victory Banner, (lowest register)
Nine planetary deities from a Victory Banner, (lowest register)
Gujarat, western India
1447
Opaque watercolour and gold on cotton
Museum no. IM.89-1936Planetary deities, such as the ones shown here at the bottom of the banner, are also venerated.