In Jain cosmology, there are three worlds – the upper (urdhva-loka), middle (madhya-loka) and lower (adho-loka). This cosmograph is a depiction of part of the middle world, from which the soul is capable of gaining release. Specifically it represents Adhai-dvipa, the two and a half continents inhabited by man. The central circle is Jambu-dvipa (continent of the rose-apple tree), traversed by long rivers and encircled by the waters of Lavana-samudra, with Mount Meru in the middle. Each continent has its own particular species of animals, graphically portrayed here by the artist. The cosmograph is a metaphysical landscape, setting forth the ordering principles that are central to Jainism.