File:Siddhartha in the Kalpa Sutra.jpg

English: Cropped image from an illustrated page from a manuscript of the "Kalpasutra," which is one of the most important canonical works of the Shvetambara (white-clad) Jains. Of the three parts of the text, usually the first--known as the "Jinacharita," consisting of the lives of the Jain teachers known as "jina" (victor)--is profusely illustrated with succinct narrative details. However, it should be noted that the lives of the different Jinas share many narrative incidents and, hence, the illustrations are repetitive and stereotypical. Therefore, if these two illustrations were separated from the text, one could not be certain of their exact association with a particular Jina.

The accompanying text, written in beautiful "nagari" script in seven lines, helps us to identify the scene as belonging to the life of Mahavira, the last and most honoured of the twenty-four Jinas. In the illustration, his father, King Siddhartha, is in conversation with two courtiers, who probably are getting instructions to go and summon the astrologers to interpret the dreams of his wife Trishala.

The illustrations is typical of the style of painting that prevailed in Gujarat and Rajasthan between the 14th and 16th centuries and has come to be designated as the "Western Indian" style. The style is characterized by strong, bold figural forms that are distinguished by their angularity and by the unnatural projection of the further eye, the use of minimal landscaping and stylized natural elements, and the preference for luxuriant fabrics. The coloring is dominated by a rich, lustrous blue, deep red, and gold, which create a very sumptuous visual effect.