Shri Mahavira Swami
Size of both prints: 19.5 x 14.6 in (49.5 x 37.1 cm)
Date of printing: 1910s-1920s
Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara (ford makers, prophets of Jainism), the last one of the present cycle of time. He was born in the early part of the 6th century BCE in Bihar into a royal family who were devotees of Parshvanatha, the 23th Tirtankara. When around thirty years old, he left home in pursuit of spiritual awakening. He was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha.
Each tirthankara has a distinct animal. Mahavira’s lion emblem is here painted below his legs in front of the throne.
Many times to create variations the press used the existing lithographic stones and printed the image using different colours. This is an example where the same image has been printed using a different colour in the main idol.