Jambudvipa - Jain painting of the mortal realms of the universe

Painting on cotton
Deshnok, Rajasthan, dated 1844

In the Jain conception of the universe, between the heavens above and hells below is the middle world where mortals dwell, the only part of the universe from which the soul can achieve liberation. Humans inhabit two and a half continents, separated by oceans and
concentrically arranged around Mount Meru, as far as a chain of mountains on the outer continent. The central disc is Jambudvipa, the continent of the rose-apple tree.

Text and image credit:
Copyright: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London