The Birth of a Jina, illustration from a Jain manuscript, North Western India, Gujarat, circa 1800-1825, opaque pigments on paper, divided into scenes, 28.6 by 18.7cm.Provenance: Simon Digby CollectionA page from a Jain manuscript showing the birth of a baby Jina. The golden Jina is seen here immediately following its birth. His mother lies on a couch, having been put into a magical sleep by Indra and Indrani. In the upper right register the baby Jina is dressed in a loin cloth by two midwives, whilst being showered with flower petals from an upper balcony. The Jain religion singles out five central events in the life of a Jina. The first event is the Jina's descent into the mother's womb. The next is the birth itself, depicted here in tis painting. The third is renunciation. Jinas are born as princes and raised in luxury, only to turn their backs on worldly wealth in search of spiritual treasures. After a long and arduous career as an ascetic the Jina at last achieves omniscience, the fourth great moment in his career. He spends his remaining years as a wandering monk, teaching the Jain doctrine everywhere he goes. When he knows that his death is near, he seeks out a mountain where he will practice his final meditation, eliminating forever the last traces of the karma that has kept his alive thus so far.Painting illustrating the auspicious events in the lives of the Jinas, based on the Adipurana or kalpasutra, were often done in sets. Two painting from this present series are known to us: one in the Los Angeles County Museum portrays Indra transporting a baby Jina on his elephant; the other, which is illustrated in P.Pal, The peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, Los Angeles 1995, no. 108 (colour plate p.50) depicts the lustration ceremony of the baby Jinas on Mount Meru.Please refer to department for condition report