Mahavira Gives Away His Possessions, c. 1500, 4 3/8 x 10 3/8 in. ( x cm), Opaque watercolors and gold on paper, India, 15th-16th century, These typical western Indian Jain manuscripts both illustrate scenes from the Kalpasutra. In the top example, the Jina Mahavira, founder of Jainism, is seated on a throne, giving his possessions to an old man. This represents Mahavira's renunciation of title, position, vanity, and wealth in preparation for his life as an ascetic and teacher. The bottom page illustrates the adoration of a tirthankara, one of the twenty-four Jain saints

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