Victorious Ones is a catalogue of sculptures and paintings of Jainism -- one of India's three classical religions. With essays by leading scholars of Asian religions and art, this book illuminates the core ideas of Jainism and its founding figures, the Jinas, "Conquerors" or Tirthankaras, and the various spaces they sanctify. Jainism offers its practitioners liberation from all suffering, preaching a doctrine of non-violence. The liberated Jinas are accessible to us through their teachings and images. They are depicted on painted maps of the Jain universe and also worshiped at famous pilgrimage sites and in private domestic shrines. The publication shows several sacred spaces, as well as illustrated manuscripts of sacred text of Jains. Many of the objects discussed and illustrated here have never been published before. The book is a companion to an exhibition organised and presented by the Rubin Museumof Art, New York from 28 September 2009 to 15 February 2010.

Author Biography

Phyllis Granoff is a specialist in Indian religions and currently the Lex Hixon Professor of World Religions at Yale University. John E Cort is Professor of Asian and Comparative Religions at Denison University. Robert J Del Bonta is an independent scholar of South Asian art and culture and is associated with the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Paul Dundas is Reader in Sanskrit and Head of Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Julia A B Hegewald is Reader in the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Manchester. Padmanabh S Jaini has taught at Banaras Hindu University and University of California at Berkeley. Kim Plofker is Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Union College, NewYork. Sonya Rhie Quintanilla is the Curator of Asian Art at the San Diego Museum of Art.