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A Delight to the Mind’s Eye - Jain Chhod Patas By Lynna Dhanani, Ph. D.
Lynna Dhanani
Lynna Dhanani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and a Chair Holder of the Mohini Jain Presidential Chair in Jain Studies at the University of California, Davis. She obtained her doctorate at Yale University. Lynna has a wide range of interests, including Jainism, Sanskrit, and Prakrit language and literature, medieval Indian alchemical traditions, yoga and tantra, Indian devotional movements, Indian philosophy, and especially South Asian religious art.
In celebration of the opening of Visualizing Devotion: Jain Embroidered Shrine Hangings, I had the great privilege of giving a talk on Saturday, December 3, 2022, introducing a selection of hangings or chhod patas from the exhibit in front of a diverse audience including many members of the Jain Center of Southern California. It was a celebration of the hard work of certain members of this community, particularly Dr. Jayesh Shah and his family, of the curators and staff at the UCLA Fowler museum working with the Ronald and Maxine Linde Collection (from which many of the chhods came), and of scholars in helping to bring together a stunning ensemble of Jain chhod patas—embroidered hangings on velvet or sateen cloth with gold and silver-gilt thread that visualize many aspects of Jain religious culture.
Delighting the eye, many of these chhods filled with sequins glittered in all of their glory in the special lighting of the exhibit hall. Many visitors walked the four corners of the room learning about the Jain tirthankaras, monks, pious nuns and laywomen, and stories found in Jain scriptures and narrative literature. Others enjoyed recognizing the objects of veneration that these chhods displayed in artful recollection of the actual pilgrimage places of Shatrujaya and Sammet Shikhara, for example, or of popular stories, such as that of Sripal and Maynasundari. Five categories organize the chhods currently on display: Knowledge and Scripture, Auspicious Life Events and Symbols, Modalities of Worship, Sacred Landscape and Pilgrimage, and Inspiring Stories. These hangings can creatively introduce and teach Jainism to all ages as they gather together many important aspects of the religion in visual form.
Seeing these hangings directly and experiencing the awe that they inspire, several of us found a renewed sense of appreciation for these material forms grouped together in this thoughtful way. Often, they are found hanging separately in and around devotional spaces whether in Jain temples, upashrayas, or homes - a presence accounted for in everyday life, but one often overlooked and perhaps undervalued. Some recollected having one as a family heirloom but never paying much attention to it, while others commented on the placement of chhods in their homes. As one shravaka said of a chhod hanging behind the main murti in her home shrine: “It often goes unnoticed, but if removed, it would be missed.”
With these chhods given center stage and highlighted as they are in the exhibit, we can all value better their importance in Jain material and religious culture, especially as movable objects that continue to inhabit the spaces of the Jain diaspora outside of India. The Chhods delight the mind’s eye, stimulating our memory to recall the many objects of veneration that we have honored in our rituals and festivals and the holy places that we have visited. They captivate the imagination with their retellings through the artistic reproduction of such images and the 3D-like quality of their characters often weaved in the traditional zari style that originated in Iran and entered India through trade several centuries ago. Part of a larger history of Indian textiles dating back to the 17th century, they continue to be created and commissioned today in places such as Surat, Gujarat, where artisans work in large groups to produce individual pieces.
Although one familiar with the themes, stories, and places of the tradition may enjoy recollecting and recognizing them on these cloth hangings, there is always the unique piece that causes pause for reflection.
The Husband Bull and the Restorative Root 1936-1937 Ronald and Maxine Linde Collection
Take for example a story visualized on one chhod pata that I shared during my talk about the “Husband Bull and the Restorative Root.” Although there are many renditions of this story, the one I chose to tell (and write) comes from Haribhadra’s eighth century CE “Immortal Drop of Yoga” (Yogabindu) that defends the notion that all gods are worthy of worship until the correct one is found. If you visit the exhibit, you will read: “In the narrative, a woman feeling rejected by her husband told her best friend about the situation. The confidant advised her not to despair and offered a magic root that would turn the uncaring spouse into a bull. Indeed, the husband was changed into a beast and she took him out to graze with other cattle. One day, the bull sat beneath a banyan tree when two celestial figures riding in a flying vehicle (vimana) alighted on the tree to rest.
The divine couple immediately recognized the bull as a human transformed by magic and discussed another special root located somewhere underneath the banyan tree that would turn him back into a man. The remorseful wife overheard their conversation and, not knowing which plant they meant, had the bull graze on all the edible ones beneath the tree. Eventually, he ate the correct root, which instantly returned him to his original form.
The moral of the tale is that just as the dullminded bull does not know one root from another and consumes everything, so a religious teacher faced with a similar-minded student encourages him to worship all gods until he finds the right one.” If you have or have not heard of this story before, please visit the exhibit if you are able, in order to gaze at the artistry and conceptualization of this story made alive and present by this chhod. Indeed, you will find, as shown in the picture to the left, the gods in the celestial chariot staring right back at you as the protagonist in the story sheepishly looks on at what she’s done!
