A Tale Of Courage And Faith From The Jatakas

DID you know that the literal meaning of Jataka is 'birth stories'? A fact we know well is that the Jatakas are a body of Indian literature that mainly concerns the previous births of Gautama Buddha, in both human and animal form.

- RENUKA NARAYANAN

Jataka stories were depicted on the railings and toranas of Buddhist stupas as a permanent record.

In passing, a Torana or toran is the decorative door hanging on a sacred archway in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist architecture. In temples and homes, it's a traditional adornment to welcome guests and mark auspicious occasions. The North, East and West make beautiful toranas of cloth and metal. I have grown up with toranas of fresh mango leaves strung over the front door for big festivals, and have seen many homes hang festive strings of marigolds as torans for Dipavali. When I saw the Sanchi stupa many years ago, I became aware that this is a very ancient custom found across India.

Here, I would like to share an observation about the depiction of gods and goddesses in India. The images and paintings came much later. They were first envisioned in words in ancient poetry. A striking example is the popular depiction of Mahalakshmi on a lotus, wearing gold, flanked by two celestial elephants sprinkling water on her. We know this image best today from the calendar art of Raja Ravi Varma. His original oil painting hangs in the Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara. I had the chance to see it last October when I went to Vadodara with some young friends for the fabulous garba that Gujarat resonates with during Navratri.