This text was written in 1397 C.E. by Śvetāmbara monk AcharyaAjitprabhasuri on paper-palm leaves and was inherited by late Muni Punyavijayji through his family. He then donated it to Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology in 1961.[1][2]
Description
The manuscript talks about peace, non-violence and brotherhood through examples from Shantinatha's previous births and the final birth as a Tirthankara. It is a biographical text that adheres to the beliefs of the Śvetāmbara tradition. and was composed and written in the late 14th century.[2] This is the oldest example of miniature painting. These illustrations are beautifully drawn in multi-colour and are examples of a highly evolved style of painting.[3] It contains 10 images of scenes from the life of Shantinatha in the style of Jain paintings from Gujarat. The text contains miniature paintings drawn in multi-colour. This is the oldest example of Jain miniature painting. The ink used in the manuscript is gum lampblack and white paint made from mineral silver. This heritage document is written in Devanagari script.[4]
Prabhācārya, Ajita (January 1998). Muni Indravijaya (ed.). Śri Śāntinātha Caritra. Bibliotheca Indica: A Collection of Oriental Works (in Sanskrit) (New Series, No. 1200 ed.). Asiatic Society of Bengal.