Shantinatha Charitra is a Sanskrit text that describes the life of 16th JaintirthankaraShantinatha.[1] It was written in 1397 CE. This text has been declared as a global treasure by UNESCO. The manuscripts of this text was inherited by late Muni Punyavijayji through his family. He then donated it to Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology. The text contains miniature paintings drawn in multi-colour. This is the oldest example of Jain miniature painting. This text was written by Ajita Prabhasuri on paper-palm leaves.
The manuscript talks about peace, nonviolence and brotherhood and was composed and written in the late 14th century. It contains 10 images of scenes from the life of Shantinatha in the style of Jain paintings from Gujarat.The ink used in the manuscript is gum lampblack and white paint made from mineral silver.This is the oldest (1397 CE) example of Jain miniature painting available in a text,
Prabhācārya, Ajita (January 1998). Muni Indravijaya (ed.). Śri Śāntinātha Caritra. Bibliotheca Indica: A Collection of Oriental Works (in Sanskrit) (New Series, No. 1200 ed.). Asiatic Society of Bengal.
