Folio 2 from a Parshvanatha Charitra (Life and Stories of Lord Parshva) of Bhavadeva-suri: Monk preaching to a disciple with a lay audience (recto); Text (verso)

This leaf comes from the beginning of a manuscript about the life and nine past lives of the penultimate Jina (liberated being in the Jain religion), known as Parshva. Composed by a learned Jain monk in 1255, it opens with praises exalting the Jinas. This manuscript was produced not long after the text gained popularity, since the style of the painting accords with others made during the third quarter of the 13th century. The language of the text is Sanskrit with the incorporation of numerous elements drawn from regional vernaculars.