SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In contrast to the solemn funeral of a common Jaina lay person, whose dead body is carried by male family members to the funeral pyre on a simple bier, in a lying posture, covered from head to toe by a shroud, the funeral of a Jaina ascetic, who purposefully purified and finally “liberated” the soul from its fetters to achieve salvation or at least a better rebirth, is a joyous occasion. The corpse is carried on the shoulders of leading male representatives of the local Jaina community, behind an orchestra playing exuberant tunes, in a decorated funeral palanquin, resembling a royal litter. The article retraces the history and functions of this custom in the context of the development of Jaina monastic funeral in general and analyses the iconography of the funeral palanquins, variously designated as śibikā, vimāna or baikuṇṭḥī.