Jina (Tirthankara)
Unknown Artist
900s-1000s
Medium
bronze with silver inlay
Dimensions
61.5 × 49.5 × 36.8 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2001.88
About this artwork
Jainism was one of the three major religions to evolve in India, the other two being Hinduism and Buddhism. While each religion developed its own particular characteristics, their beliefs maintained a common ground with Hinduism. In both Jainism and Buddhism, deities symbolize enlightened beings whose example is meant to inspire believers in following the path toward salvation rather than worshipping them. In Jainism the most common deities are Jinas (meaning "liberators" or "victors"), also kno...