The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Shramana tradition. People who practice

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

, an ancient religion of the Indian subcontinent, are collectively referred to as Jains.

Sangha

Jainism has a fourfold order of ''muni'' (male monastics), '' aryika'' (female monastics), ''

Śrāvaka Śrāvaka ( Sanskrit) or Sāvaka (Pali) means "hearer" or, more generally, "disciple". This term is used in Buddhism and Jainism. In Jainism, a śrāvaka is any lay Jain so the term śrāvaka has been used for the Jain community itself (for exam ...

'' (layman) and ''sravika'' (laywoman). This order is known as a ''sangha''.. Many Jains are in general caste.

Cultural influence

The Jain have the highest literacy rate in India, 94.1.% compared with the national average of 65.38%. They have the highest female literacy rate, 90.6.% compared with the national average of 54.16%. As per national survey NFHS-4 conducted in 2018 Jains were declared wealthiest of any community with 70% of their population living in top quintiles of wealth. The sex ratio in the 0-6 age group is the second lowest for Jain (870 females per 1,000 males).

Communities

Jains are found in almost every part of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. There are about 100 different Jain communities in India. They can be divided into five groups based on historical and current residence:

Central India

* Jainism in Bundelkhand * Jainism in Madhya Pradesh

Western India

Jainism in Gujarat Jainism has had a notable following in Gujarat. According to the 2011 Census of India, around 0.959% of the population of Gujarat is Jain. There are several old Jain temples that draw pilgrims from Jains around the world in places such as Palita ...

( Gujarati Jain) * Jainism in Maharashtra ( Marathi Jain) **

Jainism in Mumbai Mumbai has one of the largest populations of Jainism, Jains among all the cities in India. Mumbai also has numerous Jain temples. One of the best known is the Babu Amichand Panalal Lord Rishabha, Adishwarji Jain Temple, Walkeshwar (Malabar Hi ...

Northern India

* Jainism in Delhi * Jainism in Uttar Pradesh * Jainism in Rajasthan ( Marwari Jain)

Southern India

* Jainism in Karnataka * Jainism in Kerala * Jainism in North Karnataka * Jainism in Tamil Nadu (

Tamil Jain Tamil Jains (Tamil language, Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit ''Śramaṇa, samaṇa'' "wandering renunciate") are ethnic-Tamils from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, who practice Jainism (Tamil ). The Tamil Jain is a microcommunity of around 85,0 ...

)

Eastern India

* Jainism in Bengal * Jainism in Nagaland

Diaspora

Virchand Gandhi made a presentation of Jainism at the

Parliament of the World's Religions There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1893, marking one of the earliest appearances of Jainism outside India. The World Jain Congress was held in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in 1988. * Jainism in Europe * Jainism in Canada * Jainism in the United States * Jainism in Southeast Asia * Jainism in East Africa - One of the oldest Jain overseas diaspora. Their number was estimated at 45,000 at the independence of the East African countries in the early 1960s. Most members of the diaspora belonged to Gujarati speaking Halari Visa Oshwal Jain community originally from the Jamnagar area of Saurashtra. * Jainism in West Africa

Population

The Jain population in India according to 2011 census is 0.54% i.e. 4,451,753 (Males 2,278,097; Females 2,173,656) out of the total population of India 1,210,854,977 (males 623,270,258; females 587,584,719). The tabular representation of Jain population in the major states of India as per 2011 Census data released by the government is: The Jain population in United States is estimated to be about 150,000 to 200,000. In Japan, there are more than 5,000 families who have converted to Jainism and the religion is growing there.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * Facets of Jainology : Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, Religion and Culture/Vilas Adinath Sangave. Mumbai, Popular Prakashan, 2001 * * * *

External links

Hukonchu.com
- resource for Jain literature and religious information
"Jainism in America"
by Yashwant K. Malaiya
Jain Jagruti Centre, TorontoJain Temple at Palitana, Gujarat
- Vidhya Vihaar {{DEFAULTSORT:Jain Community Social groups of Gujarat Social groups of West Bengal Social groups of Rajasthan Social groups of Kerala Social groups of Karnataka Social groups of Maharashtra Social groups of Delhi Social groups of Tamil Nadu