Jaina Tirthankara Parshvanatha with Serpent Hood Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra)

This 12th-century chlorite sculpture from Karnataka, South India, shows Parshvanatha, the 23rd Jain tirthankara, seated in meditation beneath a serpent hood. It's a larger version (about 34 by 28 inches) of the same iconographic type found in the museum's 6th-century sandstone example. The seven-headed serpent hood is Parshvanatha's distinctive attribute, distinguishing him from other tirthankaras who are otherwise visually identical.

According to Jain legend, during meditation a serpent god named Dharanendra held a canopy of hoods over Parshvanatha while goddess Padmavati coiled around his body, protecting him from rain sent by the demon Kamath. The serpent had been saved by Parshvanatha in a previous life. Chlorite, a green-black metamorphic stone, was commonly used for Jain sculpture in Karnataka. The piece is at the Art Institute of Chicago.