Jaina Rituals of Death

In this book, the author presents recent, somewhat unexpected, findings on the thriving cult of bone relic stupas and the ritual role of the materiality of the dead amongst contemporary Jains. Based on extensive fieldwork in India, clear evidence is offered for the ubiquity of bone relic stupas and relic veneration across the Jain sectarian spectrum, although classical Jain doctrine rejects the worship of material objects.