Jainpedia Project Blog » Jainpedia

Fascinating and fragile: a contemporary approach to making manuscripts accessible

jgudka — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:35:42 +0000

One of the major parts of the JAINpedia project has been to make it easier for people all around the world to access the huge treasure trove of Jain Manuscripts that has been produced over hundreds of years. We thought that one of the most effective ways for us to do this was to digitise them – helping us to preserve the ancient knowledge, and share it with people everywhere.

We would like to invite you to a special Jain Study Day on Saturday the 24^th of March at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, where we shall share our inspiring story with you. Tickets for this very special event can be booked through the V&A website.

Ahimsa Day to be Celebrated on 12th October 2011

bmehta — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:46:04 +0000

Yet another year of Ahimsa Day at the House of Commons and we look forward to the announcement of the winner of the Ahimsa Award this year.
Last year’s winner, Nalini Balbir a renown Indologist and scholar honoured the Institute of Jainology and most graciously accepted the award, with a detailed and interesting account of her beginnings in Jainism and her special relationship with the Institute of Jainology. Her continued work with the Institute will soon be portrayed at the demonstration and launch of the Jainpedia Beta site in Mumbai, India on 14th October 2011. For more details on the Launch please contact us on info@jainpedia.org. A Launch in London is also planned in a few weeks, look out for more details on this.
This year’s event at the House of Commons, has key note speaker Mr Phil Wynn Owen, Director General, International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, from the Department of Energy and Climate Change will be the keynote speaker. He will be speaking about Climate Change and The Contemporary World. Look out for a report on the event next week.

Marvellous Manuscripts at the V&A

bmehta — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:54:46 +0000

A reminder to everyone, that to celebrate the upcoming Paryushana Festival, the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, London are having a series of events and activities at the museum on Sunday, 21^st August

Drop-in Design

Make your own manuscript

10.30–17.00, Lunchroom 1, Sackler Centre

Pick up a design challenge, hunt for ideas in the galleries, and then create your own fantastic manuscript using eco-friendly paper and lentils.

Jain Storytelling

11.00, 13.00 & 15.00

South Asia Gallery

Join storyteller Seema Anand for an interactive tale about animals!

Jain Family Tours

12.00, 14.00 and 16.00

South Asia Gallery

The V&A is home to a world renowned collection of Jain manuscripts and objects. Join a free guided tour especially for families by Jainpedia volunteers.

This day of free events is presented by the V&A in partnership with Jainpedia and supported by the Jain Art Fund

Find out more at http://www.vam.ac.uk/families

JAINpedia and the IoJ at Oshwal Centre’s Mela Event on 24th July 2011

bmehta — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:19:57 +0000

The Oshwal Association of the UK are holding a ‘Mela’ event on 24^th July 2011 at their renown Śvetāmbara Temple site in Potters Bar.

This cultural gathering is the biggest event in the Oshwal Calendar, with an outdoor stage event and several stalls of food and activities. The Institute of Jainology, will be there showcasing their various publications and activities from the past year, including the JAINpedia project and its achievements. The ‘Mela’ opens at 12.00pm and closes at 8.00pm. Come and see us at Stall B31 and see what is happening at JAINpedia including some screenshots of the upcoming authoritative and elaborate website.

V&A Inside Outing Event enjoyed thoroughly by participants

bmehta — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:15:16 +0000

On Thursday 16th June a group of Victoria & Albert Museum visitors; some with a basic knowledge about Jainism, who had never visited the V&A before; studied Jain manuscripts at the V&A and visited the Shikharbandhi Temple at the Oshwal Centre in Potters bar.

Nick Barnard, curator of the Jainpedia display at the V&A began the day with a presentation on Jain manuscript iconography, style and behind the scenes stories of Jain manuscripts not on display at the museum.

Thereafter, Mike Wheeler, the senior paper conservator explained the analysis of pigments in manuscripts and identifying any damage to them. The visitors were most fascinated when he showed this to them practically allowing them to see the raw mineral pigments.

The afternoon was commented to be the highlight of the day, with 15 visitors going to the Shikharbandhi Temple in Potters Bar. Arshna Sanghrajka gave an inspirational tour of the temple and its grounds, including a clear account of Jain principles and worship. The beauty of the temple was appreciated immensely.

A positively received event in general; ‘I enjoyed the visit to the Potters Bar temple and access to manuscripts in Storage’ (Inside Outing event visitor)

Spreading JAINpedia news to Hindus

bmehta — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:37:11 +0000

The Institute of Jainology was invited to the Hindu Svayamsevak Sangh’s senior citizens’ camp held over the weekend of 3rd to 5th June 2011 at Beaumanor Hall Park in Leicestershire. The Institute of Jainology’s honorary secretary, Dr Harshad N. Sanghrajka, was requested to speak about JAINpedia and Jainism in general.

Harshad Sanghrajka at the Hindu Svayamsevak Sangh senior citizens' camp

With over 100 people at the event, JAINpedia received some good coverage, and all attendees were very interested in the project. The presentation resulted in several questions about Jainism and Hinduism.

Mahavir Jayanti celebrations at the British Library

bmehta — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:11:33 +0000

JAINpedia are holding Mahavir Jayanti celebrations at the British Library on 15th April 2011. This free event takes place over the whole day and includes:

story-telling sessions by highly acclaimed story-teller Seema Anand
hourly tours of the JAINpedia display
a drop-in craft workshop for children organised by the British Library
a beautiful dance recital in the Bharat Natyam dance form, performed by founders of the Prakruti Dance School.

Here is the programme for the day:

Time	Activity	Area
10am — 5pm	Tours	John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library
11am	Storytelling	John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library
12pm — 4pm	Craft workshop	Learning Centre
1pm — 2pm	Dance recital	Foyer outside John Ritblat Gallery
3pm	Storytelling	Treasures

Look out for our volunteers in their bright orange JAINpedia t-shirts and they can help you find your way to any of the above activities.

Join us for a fun-filled day for you and your family – we look forward to celebrating Mahavir Jayanti with all of you!

Diwali events at the V&A

jkelly — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:17:59 +0000

Happy Diwali, everyone!

We’d just like to remind you that there are special Diwali events this weekend at the V&A in South Kensington, London.

You can:

see rangoli demonstrations both days
take part in a JAINpedia digital treasure hunt on Sunday
listen to the storyteller and watch the dancers bring the tales to life on Sunday.

All the events are free, though they will be popular!

And of course you can marvel at the beautiful exhibits in the free display of Jain manuscripts in the Nehru Gallery.

Enjoy!

Jain treasures displayed at the British Library

jkelly — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 18:05:40 +0000

On 8 October, the British Library launched JAINpedia in a stunning display in the Treasures Gallery running until the end of April 2011.

Consisting of around 40 striking objects from the library’s Jain collection, the display appears in the rotating Sacred Texts permanent exhibition in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery, also known as the Treasures Gallery of the British Library.

The illustrated pages are displayed in different sections – Worship and Meditation, Lives of the Jinas, the Jain Universe and Jain Stories.

As well as two rare palm-leaf folios from the Jita-kalpa-sutra, the exhibition contains paintings of scenes such as:

worship of Sarasvatī
Śāntinatha, the 16th Jina, in meditation
worship of the Jina Pārśvanatha
14 auspicious dreams
enlightenment of a Jina.

Entry to the British Library is free and you can look at the display along with other treasures of the library completely free seven days a week.

Events at the British Library

To complement the display a series of events to celebrate Mahavir Jayanthi will take place in April 2011. These events will include a family craft workshop, storytelling in the gallery and a lunch-time recital. There will also be a reception in March 2011. All events will be free and drop-in so you don’t need to book.

For further information about the events contact rajiv.anand@jainpedia.org

The British Library

The United Kingdom’s national library, the British Library is one of the leading global research libraries. The British Library holds well over 150 million items, in most known languages from a multitude of cultures around the world. As well as visiting the landmark twentieth-century building in central London for free, you can also explore large parts of its collections online.

The British Library has very large holdings of Jain manuscripts, many sold or bequeathed by eminent scholars of the past. With such a large collection, choosing the cream of the illustrated pages for the display was a difficult task but the JAINpedia team is extremely pleased with the results. You can read full details of pages displayed in this exhibition on the forthcoming JAINpedia website.

We hope to see lots of you in the Treasures Gallery over the next few months.

Free expert talk at the V&A

jkelly — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:06:20 +0000

Nick Barnard, Curator of South Asian art in the Asian Department, will give a talk at 1.15pm on Wednesday 3 November. It’s free and you don’t need to book in advance – just turn up!

Nick’s specialist Curator Talk will be held in the Victoria and Albert Museum‘s Hochhauser Auditorium to accompany the launch of JAINpedia – an ambitious project digitising Jain manuscripts in the UK.

The talk will explore finely illustrated Jain manuscript pages on display in the Nehru Gallery of Indian art at the V&A till December 2012. Dating from the 15th to 19th centuries, these beautiful manuscripts were preserved in temple libraries in India before arriving at the V&A. The V&A’s collection includes examples in a range of styles, some never displayed before.

When?

The talk starts at 1.15pm and finishes at 2pm on Wednesday 3 November 2010.

Where?

The Hochhauser Auditorium at the V&A in South Kensington, London.

Who?

Nick Barnard, Curator of South Asian art in the Asian Department

How much?

It’s free and you can just go along without booking.

More information

You can find out more about the talk and other lunch-time events at the museum from the V&A website.