AESTHETICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF DECORATED WOODEN COVERS OF THE MANUSCRIPTS UNDER JAIN SCHOOL OF PAINTING IN THE MEDIVAL PERIOD

Jain school of paintings has a special feature in the wider perspective of Indian painting. The rich form of Jain art started in the form of sculptures and cave wall paintings. Later on, a new original form of Jain art started in the form of manuscript painting, which is based on various motifs of miniature style, such as - illustrated palm leaves, illustrated cloth paintings and illustrated paper books etc. Illustrated examples of Jain painting have been found in the handwritten texts made in all these motifs, along with these, the wooden covers which were kept above and below the manuscripts for the protection of these texts, have also been collected from private Collection and museums. These wooden covers were made to keep the palm leaves safe. Along with manuscript paintings, painters used to decorate these panels with beautiful figures and stories. The free expression of the painter can be seen in the depiction of these wooden covers. Like manuscripts, these plates also hold a special place in art history. There is a wonderful depiction of Indian animals and birds, geometrical shapes, design of bellflowers, columbines and religious symbols on these illustrated wooden covers of manuscripts. In addition to decorations, these panels also depict various contemporary events and cultural themes. Due to the uniqueness of designs and the amazing depiction of these wooden book covers it can be inferred that the painters who created them must have been highly skilled. These wonderful examples of paintings from Jain school of paintings have special importance in art history and Jain culture. The objective of the research is to do artistic analysis of these wooden manuscripts covers. Although analyzing all the collected data from the museums and manuscript centers was a challenging task for the researcher but eventually efforts were made to publicize the facts in detail.