Look up at the ornate sculpted teakwood dome, with its balconies and architectural supports. Traces of pigment suggest that originally, these reliefs were brightly painted. Notice the ring of large figures inside the dome. These are rulers of the eight cosmic directions, flanked by female attendants. They signify that this dome is a map of the celestial realm. Elephants, musicians, and semi-divine beings crowd the other concentric circles, along with other animal and floral forms. The pendant at the center of the dome terminates in a lotus blossom.

This dome sheltered the meeting hall of a late-sixteenth-century Jain temple, in the West Indian province of Gujarat. Jainism remains an active faith in India, attracting followers worldwide. It shares many features with Buddhism. Like the historical Buddha, the traditional founder of Jainism, Mahavira, was an Indian prince born in the sixth century BC. Mahavira and Buddha both left their father’s kingdoms to pursue lives of ascetic spirituality. Central to Jain beliefs is the doctrine of ahimsa, or extreme nonviolence toward all living things. The most devout Jains sweep the path before them as they walked, to avoid killing even an insect.