Jain manuscripts

14 May 2010 – 31 December 2012

South Asia, room 41
Free admission

Created to accompany the launch of JAINpedia - an ambitious project digitising Jain manuscripts in the UK - this small display shows finely illustrated Jain manuscript pages from the 15th to 19th centuries. Manuscripts were preserved in temple libraries, however the V&A's collection includes examples in a range of styles, some never displayed before.

The V&A has one of the most important permanent collections of Jain art in the UK, including some remarkable sculptures and paintings. A display of Jain manuscript pages and paintings was opened on 14 May 2010 in the V&A's South Asia gallery, Room 41, featuring nineteen manuscript pages from the 15th to 18th centuries, two book covers and  two large paintings on cloth, one of which has recently been conserved and is on display for the first time. The display will be open until 31 December 2012.

The display is part of the JAINpedia project to digitise Jain manuscripts in major UK collections. The V&A is one of the partners in this project along with the British Library, the Wellcome Trust, the Bodleian Library and Kings College London. The project is led by the Institute of Jainology and has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Jainism is one of the major religions to originate in India, along with Hinduism and Buddhism, and has been continuously practised there since at least the 6th century BC. Despite the fact that Jainism's strict adherence to non violence has inspired such leaders as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, the religion is little known outside India and the rich artistic tradition it developed has received scant attention. An artistic heritage spanning a period of over 2,000 years comprises an astonishing variety of sculpture, paintings, ritual objects and textiles. The Jains, despite their rigorous ideal of non-attachment to the material world, have produced a cultural heritage rich in its imaginative splendour.

The V&A has a long history of displaying Jain art. In 1996 the V&A hosted the first ever international exhibition on the subject - 'The Peaceful Liberators - Jain Art from India' - jointly organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum.