Mahavira plucks out his hair in five handfuls, from a manuscript of the Kalpasutra (Book of Ritual)

Mahavira (Great Hero), the last of the twenty-four great Jain teachers (tirthankara) and a contemporary of the Buddha, is seen here plucking his hair out in five handfuls. This act marks the beginning of his life as a monk and it is witnessed by the four-armed Indra, god of the gods, at the right.

Removal of hair from the head and face by a Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain ascetic symbolizes his giving up of society and is an important step in initiatory rituals. Many Jain monks were known to have removed their hair by tearing it from the roots by hand, making a strong statement through this painful act about uprooting one’s attachments to the world.