ABSTRACT
If you had visited the Śvetāmbara Jain Dādā Bāḍī temple in Jaipur on 22 October 2010, you would have witnessed an impressive scene quite distinct from the austere portrait of Jainism found in many introductions to the religion. On that day, an elaborate diagram made of colored powder was constructed on a low platform in a worship hall of the temple. For several hours, a family – a wife and husband along with their unmarried adult son – placed pounds and pounds of fruits and other substances on the diagram while musicians and fellow devotees looked on, singing various devotional songs. Even the three nuns in attendance – the portrait of Jain detachment in introductory textbooks – played a key role in this worship ceremony, joining the ritual specialists (vidhikāra) in reciting powerful mantras for the sake of worldly prosperity. 2
