Publisher's Synopsis
Victorious Ones is a catalogue of sculptures and paintings of Jainism -- one of India's three classical religions. With essays by leading scholars of Asian religions and art, this book illuminates the core ideas of Jainism and its founding figures, the Jinas, "Conquerors" or Tirthankaras, and the various spaces they sanctify. Jainism offers its practitioners liberation from all suffering, preaching a doctrine of non-violence. The liberated Jinas are accessible to us through their teachings and images. They are depicted on painted maps of the Jain universe and also worshiped at famous pilgrimage sites and in private domestic shrines. The publication shows several sacred spaces, as well as illustrated manuscripts of sacred text of Jains. Many of the objects discussed and illustrated here have never been published before. The book is a companion to an exhibition organised and presented by the Rubin Museumof Art, New York from 28 September 2009 to 15 February 2010.
