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Queen Trishala on Her Bed

Queen Trishala is shown reclining on her bed on the night of her conception of Mahavira, the last of the twenty-four Jain saviors of this world-cycle. The text on this page gives a luscious description of her chamber: heaps of flowers and burning herbs transform the room into a veritable pot of scented incense; pillows at head and foot make the center of her bed feel like the soft sand on the banks of the Ganges river; linen, towel, and curtains are so fine that to touch them is like stroking fur, cotton, or butter. Visually this sumptuousness is indicated by elaborately patterned textiles, a plethora of pearls, and a richly ornamented bed. On this bed the queen sleeps and dreams the Fourteen Auspicious Dreams, although the conventions of painting dictate that she be depicted with open eyes.