12th Century Pale Pink Sandstone Figure of Jina Mahavira

A finely carved and beautiful pale pink sandstone figure of Jina Mahavira, Madhya Pradesh, Indian, 12th century CE. Provenance: Private collection, South Australia. Reference: Pratapaditya Pal Jain art from India-The Peaceful Liberators' p140. for a similar example. At the age of 30, Mahavira renounced worldly life and became an ascetic. For the next 12 years, he led a life of penance and meditation. He was credited to have conquered his desires and thus came to be known as 'Jina' or the conqueror. His followers thus came to be known as Jinas or the Jains. Dimensions: 76 cm high, 53 cm wide