A Jain Guru Gives a Sermon

A Jain guru seated in a meditative posture on a podium delivers a sermon to an assembly of devotees, who are separated by gender. The guru wears white robes, which identify him as belonging to the Svetambara (white-robe) sect. He wears a protective veil over his mouth, a preventive measure against accidentally inhaling insects and killing any living thing, adhering the Jain philosophy of non-violence. These practices are still observed by Jains today. Before him is a stand with a holy book, presumably the subject of his sermon, a page of which he holds in his right hand.