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Nemi Enthroned, Folio 54 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Followers of the Jain religion recognize 24 Jinas, individuals who reached liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth. Arishtanemi was the 22nd of the 24 and was a cousin of Krishna. Here Arishtanemi sits in eternal meditative bliss, crowned and bejeweled in a shrine. His attendants are sometimes recognized as the Hindu deities Krishna and Balarama. Followers of the Jain religion do not view Krishna as a supreme deity; instead, they view him and his brother Balarama as semidivine heroes with access to the liberated being.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineNemi Enthroned, Folio 54 (verso), from a Kalpa-sutra, c. 1475–1500. Western India, Gujarat. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; overall: 12.5 x 25.7 cm (4 15/16 x 10 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund, 1932.119.54.b
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