Temple Complex (Triptych)

Unidentified Artist (Jain Art)

This painted wooden pata reflects the profound role of pilgrimage within Jain devotional practice, where sacred landscapes and temple complexes become vehicles for spiritual redemption.
Jain tīrtha paṭa are symbolic or schematic representations, landscapes, or map-like depictions of sacred sites. While exact origins of tīrtha paṭa or pilgrimage banners are unknown, these patas had become popular by the fifteenth century. Examples include paintings on cloth, canvas, or wood, as well as low-relief carvings in various media.
Historically commissioned by affluent Jain merchant families, such portable panels were created for permanent placement within the domestic shrine (Ghar Derasar), enabling worshippers to engage in bhava-yatra, a mental pilgrimage undertaken through meditation rather than physical travel.