The Jain teacher Nemi is anointed in preparation for his wedding, from a manuscript of the Kalpasutra (Book of Ritual)

(One of two pages)

Like Siddhartha, the Buddha-to-be, Nemi was a prince with great spiritual powers. Persuaded by the examples of the previous Jain teachers, all of whom had dutifully married before embarking on their spiritual quests, the young prince reluctantly agreed to wed. Here, Nemi is depicted undergoing a ritual marriage anointment. The figure on the left performing the rite is probably the Hindu god Krishna, who is identified by some Jains as Nemi's cousin. The steplike configuration near the feet of the two figures and the wavy pattern on which they stand indicate that the ritual is taking place either at a temple bathing tank or near a sacred body of water.

The life stories of some of the Jain teachers are among the subjects contained in the Kalpasutra, an important text still recited by Jain monks in an annual festival that occurs during the rainy season. These pages derive their elongated horizontal format from earlier manuscripts that were composed of long, narrow strips of palm leaves. The red circle in the center of each page recalls holes for the binding cord by which these earlier manuscripts were held together.