Jatakamala, meaning 'the garlands of birth stories', tells the stories of Buddha's previous births. Jatakamala was written in pure Sanskrit by Arya Shura, a Sanskrit scholar. It is a collection of 34 stories out of which fourteen are not to be found in the main bulk of the stories. The book has an important place in the Buddhist literature and is believed to have been composed during the 4th century. The stories in the book emphasize the doctrine of universal salvation. The stories and stanzas from Jatakamala can be seen in the Ajanta cave frescoes. Some of the ancient Indian monuments including
Bharhut and
Sanchi are adorned with frescoes depicting the stories from the Jatakamala.
The book was translated into English language and published in 1896 by J S Speyer. The modern versions of the book have photographs of the Borobudur reliefs.
