"God as King or God as Ascetic? Ornament in the Material Culture of Jain Icons"
ABSTRACT A fundamental sectarian divide among the Jains is that between the Digambaras (“Sky-Clad”) and Shvetambaras (“White-Clad”). The former hold that true world renouncers should even renounce clothing, and so live in a state of nudity. The latter reject such an extreme interpretation of renunciation and hold that true world renouncers can wear simple white robes. This difference in doctrine and practice is seen clearly in the icons of the Jinas found in Jain temples. Digambara temples enshrine images of the Jina as nude, whereas the images in Shvetambara temples depict the Jina as wearing a robe. But this is not the most obvious visual difference between temple images. Whereas the Digambara images underscore the Jina’s nudity with a stark, unornamented style, Shvetambara images are elaborately ornamented. The symbolism is obvious: Digambara images depict the Jina as an ascetic renouncer, and Shvetambara images depict the Jina as a king. In this talk, Cort explores both the symbolism and the interpretations of Jina images that underlie this key element of the material culture of Jain temple images.
