A pre‑Mughal Citrapata from Gujarat
By Hirananda Sastri
Summary
This article introduces a Jain tantric painting (citrakaya) from Gujarat which the author calls a pre‑Mughal citrapata. The painting is essentially a Rṣimanḍala yantra – a cosmological diagram composed of concentric circles and lotuses – painted on paper and mounted on cloth. At its centre lies the sacred syllable hrīḥ representing the Trthaṅkara, surrounded by eight deities inscribed on lotus petals. The next ring contains eight smaller figures representing the directional guardians (dikpalas) and navagrahas with their individual attributes. Outside these circles is a ring of mantras and an outermost border showing devas and navanidhi. The author analyses the iconography, explaining the tantric symbolism of each element and its connection with Jain ritual practice. He points out that the painting is extremely rare: similar yantras are usually drawn on cloth or walls rather than on portable paper. Because it predates Mughal miniature painting, it preserves archaic features of western Indian art such as flat perspective, linear drawing and restrained colour palette. The article discusses inscriptions on the painting which suggest it was used as an astrological talisman. Stylistically it resembles Jain palm‑leaf manuscripts from western India and may have been produced in Patan or a nearby centre in about the fourteenth century. The author stresses that the painting demonstrates a synthesis of Jain ritual, astrology and tantric cosmology and that it offers valuable comparative material for the study of pre‑Mughal pictorial traditions.
Conclusion
The discovery of the Rṣimanḍala citrapata from Gujarat is important because it provides a rare example of Jain pictorial art from before the Mughal era. Its concentric lotus‑based cosmogram, inscriptions and rare figural motifs show how tantric cosmology and astrology were integrated into Jain ritual. As a painted yantra on paper, the work is unique among the mostly cloth‑drawn diagrams of western India. Its archaic style and inscriptions suggest a fourteenth‑century origin near Patan. The author argues that this painting can illuminate the evolution of western Indian miniature art and provides a valuable reference for future comparative studies of Indian iconography and tantra.