Where the earth is better than heaven

Jain cosmology is elaborately structured, with a degree of layered symmetry and repetition and the images are a fascinating record of a complex worldview.

Have you wondered what repercussions your karma can have? Jain cosmology might have an answer — if you have behaved violently and been jealous, possessive or hurtful, your soul may be reincarnated in hell or naraka, an elaborate seven-level realm of suffering and pain, where you might remain for millions of years until you experience the full repercussions of your accrued karma. Of course, based on the kind of karma you generate, there is the possibility that you might be reincarnated as a human being, plant or animal. If you have performed good deeds in your lifetime, you could be reincarnated in heaven. Not even heaven, however, is the ideal place to be. One must be reincarnated as a human, to be able to achieve liberation (moksha), from the cycles of life, death and rebirth, within which the soul remains trapped.

Jain cosmology is elaborately structured, with a degree of layered symmetry and repetition. According to Jainism, the Universe is everlasting and non-originating — Jainism does not recognise a creator-god. Jain deities are not gods as much as they are mediators between the perfected souls of the Jinas — enlightened ones — and the imperfect human world. The study of the cosmos is not limited only to texts but has led to the development of a particular visual vocabulary to describe the worlds. Over the centuries, depictions of the levels of naraka and the various tortures that the soul undergoes in each layer, have been vividly depicted by artists in several illustrated Jain manuscripts. The Jain universe has also been represented in multiple forms: from 17th-century cloth paintings depicting vertical-standing cosmic men to 19th-century cosmological maps created in bulk by the printing press.

To understand its underlying philosophy, one must begin with the structure of the universe, especially the portion that is inhabited by all souls, known as loka akasha. Loka akasha is divided into three worlds. By the 17th century, these three worlds came to be depicted through a vertical-standing cosmic man. From his feet up to his waist is the lower world, which contains the seven realms of hell; at his waist is the middle world, jambudvipa, where humans reside; his torso, up to his neck, is the upper world, urdhva loka, the heavenly realm where deities reside.

Other representations of this universe are almost cartographic. These maps or Adhaidvipa as they are commonly known show us the continent of Jambudvipa, with Mount Meru at its axis, surrounded by the Salt Ocean (Lavanasamudra), and ring-shaped continent Dhatakikhandadvip along with other geographical features that mark the point beyond which humans cannot go. Adhaidvipa, meaning two-and-a-half continents, depicts the only part of the Jain Universe in which the soul, through its human life, can accrue good karma to release itself from the cycle of rebirth.

While your fate may hang in the balance according to Jain cosmology, it is undeniable that these images are a fascinating record of a complex worldview, providing an insight into the visual artefacts of Jainism.

Discover Indian Art is a monthly column that delves into fascinating stories on art from across the sub-continent, curated by the editors of the MAP Academy. Find them on Instagram as @map_academy