Jainism is an ancient religion of India. It is one of the oldest
living religions in the world.

Jains realise that all souls are equal and thus do not subscribe to any notions of inequality between human beings on the basis of race, religion, caste or gender.

Jains recognise 24 Tirthankaras or fordmakers who promulgate the eternal teachings of the Jinas (perfect beings who have conquered the senses and are beyond all desire).

Tirthankara Adinatha was the first Tirthankara of this era, and
Tirthankara Mahavira was the last.

Each of the 24 Tirthankaras taught the path of liberation, giving the same message of non-violence, self control and self restraint.

Anyone can be a Jain. There is no formal training required. No formal initiation. He / she who follows the teachings of the Jinas is a Jain.

What does this entail? Conquering one's passions, controlling one's desire for sensual gratification and acceptance of responsibility for one's own thoughts, words and deeds.

Jainism sees the soul and body as two distinct entities.

Jainism knows that the soul is eternal, whereas the body is impermanent.

Jainism believes that the soul, when it sheds all insentient matter, is of the nature of pure bliss.

The two come together when the soul is encumbered by passions and hence attracts fine particles of insentient matter called karmas, which cause temporal bondage.

Jainism shows the process whereby the soul can shed this insentient matter, ridding itself of temporal bondage and attaining eternal bliss (which is its own true nature, merely obscured and impeded by the presence of karmas).

Those who walk this path without any compromise, are known as ascetics. They are fully committed to the goal of liberation.

Those who follow this path partially are known as laypersons. While they realise the importance of liberation and the flawed, impermanent and vexing nature of temporal pleasures, they are unable to commit themselves fully to the goal of liberation.

Jains worship the Tirthankaras as they are liberated beings who have shown us the path of liberation.

Jains do not believe that worshiping the Tirthankaras or anyone else can gain them spiritual or worldly goals.

Jains do not believe in an omnipotent being who runs the Earth according to his / her wishes. Jains believe in personal
responsibility and hold each living being responsible for its own acts of mind, speech and body.

Jains worship the Tirthankaras in order to imbibe their spiritual qualities, chiefly their attribute of VITARAGA, or being supremely unattached.

The quest of each mundane soul is to attain this supreme unattachment, which would lead to the dissociation of all karmas from the soul thus resulting in eternal bliss as only a soul free from all karmas may attain its intrinsic quality of eternal bliss.

Jay Jinendra
Manish modi
Email: sramanopasaka@yahoo.co.in

In ancient times the jaina monks went about completely naked, having put away all those caste marks and particularizing tokens that are of the essence of Indian costume and symbolize the wearer's involvement in the web of human bondage. Later on, in Mahavira's period many assumed a white garment as a concession to decency and termed themselves svetambara, " those whose garment (ambara) is white (sveta)." This raiment denoted their ideal of alabaster- like purity, and so was not too great a departure from the heroic mode of the conservatives, who continued to style themselves Digambara, "those whose garment (ambara) is the element that fills the four quarters of space (dig). " The Tirthankaras are therefore sometime depicted naked, and sometimes clad in white. Rsabhanatha, in the alabaster monument under discussion, wears a thin silken robe, covering his hips and legs.  
But there is a special problem that arises in Jaina iconography as a result of the drastic purity of the ideal of the Tirthankara. The sculptor cannot be allowed to damage the sense of his representation by modifying in any way the perfect isolation and non-particularity of the released beings. The pristine life-monads are to be represented without fault. How, then, is the worshiper to distinguish one of these "victors" from another, since all- having transcended the sphere of time, change, and specification- are as alike as so many certified eggs? The solution to the difficulty was the simple one of providing every image with an emblem that should refer either to the name or to some distinctive detail of the legend of the Tirthankara intended. This is why the statue of Rsabhanatha- literally "Lord (natha) Bull (rsabha)"- shows a little zebu-bull beneath the savior's feet. The effect of such juxtaposition is that in dramatic contrast to these accompanying figures, which are reminiscent of the world, and life from which the Tirthankara has withdrawn, the majestic aloofness of the perfected, balanced, absolutely self-contained figure of the saint become emphasized in its triumphant isolation. The image of the released one seems to be neither animate nor inanimate, but pervaded by a strange and timeless calm. It is human in shape and feature, yet as inhuman as an icicle; and thus expresses perfectly the idea of successful withdrawal from the round of life and death, personal cares, individual destiny, desires, sufferings, and events. Like a pillar of some supraterrestrial, unearthly substance, the Tirthankara, the  "Crossing-maker," the breaker of the path across the stream of time to the final release and bliss of the other shore, stands supernal motionless, absolutely unconcerned about the worshiping, jubilant crowds that throng around his feet.  
   At Sravana Belgola, Hashan District, Mysore, is colossal figure of this kind that was erected about 983 AD by camundaraya, the minister of king Rajamalla of the Ganga dynasty. It is hewn from a vertical rock needle, a prodigious monolith, on a hilltop four hundred feet above the town. The image measures fifty-six and one-half feet in height and thirteen feet around the hips, and is thus one of the largest freestanding figures in the world; the feet are placed on a low platform. Vines clambering up his body indicate the savior represented, which refer to an episode in the biography of Gommata (also called Bahubali, "strong of arm"), the son of the first Tirthankara, Rsabhanatha. He is supposed to have stood unflinchingly for a year in his yoga posture. The vines crept up to his arms and shoulders; anthills arose about his feet; he was like a tree or rock of the wilderness. To this day the entire surface of this statue is anointed every twenty-five years with melted butter, as a result of which it still looks fresh and clean.  
  There is legend to the effect that the image goes back to a date much earlier than 983 AD, and that for ages it was forgotten, the memory of its location being completely lost. Bharata, the first of India's mythical Cakravartins is supposed, according to this account, to have erected it; Ravana, the fabulous chieftain of the demons of Ceylon, paid it worship; and when it passed, thereafter, from the memory of man, it became covered with earth. The old legend tells us that Camundaraya was informed of its existence by a traveling merchant and so made a pilgrimage to the sacred place with his mother and few companions. When the party arrived, a female earth-divinity, the yaksini Kusmandi, who had been an attendant of the Tirthankara Aristanemi, manifested her and pointed out the hidden site. Then with a golden arrow, Camundaraya split the hill and the colossal figure could be seen. The earth was cleared away and craftsmen were brought to cleanse the image and restore it.
  The emblems of the Tirthankaras are as Follows:

1. Rashaba, bull 2. Ajita, elephant 3. Sambhava, horse 4. Abhinandana, ape 5. Sumati, heron 6. Padmaprabha, red lotus  7. Suparsva, swastika, 8. Candraprabha, moon, 9. Suvidhi, dolphin 10. Sitala, srivatsa (a sign on the breast), 11. Sreyamsa, rhinoceros, 12. Vasupujya, buffalo 13. Vimala, hog, 14. Ananta, hawk, 15. Dharma, thunderbolt, 16. Santi, antelope, 17. Kunthu, goat, 18. Ara, nandyavarta (a diagram), 19. Malli, jar, 20. Suvrata, tortoise, 21. Nami, blue lotus, 22. Aristanemi, conch shell, 23. Parsva, serpent, 24. Mahavira, Lion.  
The standing attitude in which they are commonly shown exhibits a characteristic, puppet like rigidity that come of- and- denotes- inner absorption. The posture is called "dismissing the body" (kayotsarga). The modeling avoids details and yet is not flat or incorporeal; for the savior is without weight, without throbbing life or any promise of delight, yet is a body - an ethereal reality with milk in its veins instead of blood. The empty spaces left between the arms and the trunk, and between the legs, are consciously intended to emphasize the splendid isolation of the unearthly apparition. There is no striking contour, no interesting trait of individuality, no cutting profile breaking into space, but a mystic calm, an anonymous serenity, which we are not even invited to share. And nakedness is as far removed as the stars, or as bare rock, from sensuality; for in Indian art nakedness is not intended to suggest either sensuous charm (as it is in the Greek images of the nymphs and Aphrodite's) or an ideal of perfect bodily and spiritual manhood, developed through competitive sport (as in the Greek statues of the youthful athletes who triumphed in the sacred contests at Olympia and elsewhere). The nakedness of Indian goddesses is that of the fertile, indifferent mother earth, while that of the stark Tirthankaras is ethereal. Composed of some substance that does not derive from, or link one to, the circuit of life, the truly "sky-clad" (digambara) Jaina statue expresses the perfect isolation of the one who has stripped off every bond. He is an absolute "abiding in itself," a strange but perfect aloofness, a nudity of chilling majesty, in its stony simplicity, rigid contours, and abstraction.  
   The from of the image of the Tirthankara is like a bubble: at first sight seemingly a bit primitive in its inexpressive attitude-simply standing on its two legs- but actually highly conscious and rather sophisticated in its avoidance of all the dynamic, glamorous, and triumphant achievements of the contemporary Hindu art-the wonderful, vital sculpture of Elude, Badami, and elsewhere. By the Jaina saint- and - artist - the restless vitality both of the Hindu gods and of their mythical cosmic display is ignored deliberately, as though in protest. Through a translucent alabaster silence the great Passage- breaking doctrine is revealed of the jaina way of escape from that universal manifold of enticement and delusion.  
  For it is important to bear in mind that the Tirthankaras and their image belong to a totally different sphere from that of the orthodox Hindu devotions. The Hindu gods, dwelling in the heavens that Parsvanatha transcended, still are accessible to human prayer, whereas the supreme release attained by the Tirthankaras places them beyond all earthly solicitude. They can never be moved from their eternal isolation. Superficially, their cult may resemble that of the Hindu deities, who not only graciously heed the prayers of man but even condescend to come down into the lifeless temple images-as to a throne or seat in response to consecrating rituals of conjuration and invition; for the Jainas pay profound respect to the statues of their Tirthankaras and recount legends of their miraculous origin. Nevertheless the attitude is not precisely that of worship. The following story, told of the Lord Parsva in his next to last earthly life, gives the clue to the special character of the Jaina attitude.  
   The savior's name then, it will be remembered, was King Anandakumara. When he had defeated the rulers of the surrounding nations and become a Cakravartin, his minister suggested that he should hold a religious celebration in honor of the Tirthankara Aristanemi; but when the king enter the temple to worship he was disturbed by a doubt. "What is the use," His thought, "of Bowing before an image, for an image is unconscious?" there was a saint in the temple at the time, how age," He told the king, "Affects the mind. If one holds a red flower before a glass, the glass will be red; if one holds up a dark blue flower the glass will be dark blue. Just so, the mind is changed by the presence of image. Contemplating the form on the passionless Lord in Jaina Temple, the minds become filled automatically with a sentiment of renunciation; whereas at the sight up courtesan it became restless. No one can regard the peaceful; absolute from the lord without recalling the noble qualities of the lord; and this influence is the more forceful if one worships. The mind straight way becomes purified. But given purity of mind, one is already on the way to final bliss."  
  The sage Vipulmati then illustrated his lesson for the king with a metaphor that has many counterparts in the various traditions of India, non-Jana as well as Jaina. "In a certain town." He said, "there was a beautiful public women who died, and her body was brought to the cremation ground. A certain licentious man who chanced to be there looked upon her beauty and thought how fortunate he would have deemed himself could he, but once in his lifetime, have had the opportunity of enjoying her. Simultaneously a dog that was there, seeing the corpse going into the fire, thought what dainty meals it would have made for him had they not determined to waste it in the flames. But a saint, also present, thought how regrettable that anyone endowed with such a body should have neglected to make use of it in difficult yoga exercises.  
  "there was but one corpse in that place," said Vipulmati, "and yet it produced three sorts of feeling in three different witnesses. An external thing will thus have its effect according to the nature and purity of the mind. The mind," he concluded,  "is purified by the contemplation and worship of the Tirthankaras make one fit, therefore, to enjoy the pleasures of heaven after death - and can even prepare one's mind to experience nirvana.

1. Ahimsa (non-violence)
The Jain ecological philosophy is virtually synonymous with the principle of ahimsa (non-violence) which runs through the Jain tradition like a golden thread.“Ahimsa parmo dharmah” (Non-violence is the supreme religion). Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara (Path-finder) of this era, who lived 2500 years ago in north India, consolidated the basic Jain teachings of peace, harmony and renunciation, taught two centuries earlier by the Tirthankara Parshva, and for thousands of years previously by the 22 other Tirthankaras of this era, beginning with Adinatha Rishabha. Mahavira threw new light on the perennial quest of the soul with the truth and discipline of ahimsa. He said:" There is nothing so small and subtle as the atom nor any element so vast as space. Similarly, there is no quality of soul more subtle than non-violence and no virtue of spirit greater than reverence for life.”
Ahimsa is a principle that Jains teach and practice not only towards human beings but towards all nature. It is an unequivocal teaching that is at once ancient and contemporary. The scriptures tell us: “All the Arhats (Venerable Ones) of the past, present and future discourse, counsel, proclaim, propound and prescribe thus in unison: Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture or kill any creature or living being.” In this strife-torn world of hatred and hostilities, aggression and aggrandizement, and of unscrupulous and unbridled exploitation and consumerism, the Jain perspective finds the evil of violence writ large.
The teaching of ahimsa refers not only to wars and visible physical acts of violence but to violence in the hearts and minds of human beings, their lack of concern and compassion for their fellow humans and for the natural world. Ancient Jain texts explain that violence (Ahimsa) is not defined by actual harm, for this may be unintentional. It is the intention to harm, the absence of compassion, that makes action violent. Without violent thought there could be no violent actions. When violence enters our thoughts, we remember Tirthankara Mahavira’s words:
“You are that which you intend to hit, injure, insult, torment, persecute, torture, enslave or kill.”
2. Parasparopagraho jivanam (interdependence)
Mahavira proclaimed a profound truth for all times to come when he said: “One who neglects or disregards the existence of earth, air, fire, water and vegetation disregards his own existence which is entwined with them” Jain cosmology recognizes the fundamental natural phenomenon of symbiosis or mutual dependence, which forms the basis of the modern day science of ecology. It is relevant to recall that the term `ecology’ was coined in the latter half  of the nineteenth century from the Greek word oikos, meaning `home’, a place to which one returns. Ecology is the branch of biology which deals with the relations of organisms to their surroundings and to other organisms.
The ancient Jain scriptural aphorism Parasparopagraho jivanan (All life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence) is refreshingly contemporary in its premise and perspective. It defines the scope of modern ecology while extending it further to a more spacious ‘home’. It means that all aspects of nature belong together and are bound in a physical as well as a metaphysical relationship. Life is viewed as a gift of togetherness, accommodation and assistance in a universe teeming with interdependent constituents.
3. Anekantavada (the doctrine of manifold aspects)
The concept of universal interdependence underpins the Jain theory of knowledge, known as anekantava or the doctrine of manifold aspects. Anekantavada describes the world as a multifaceted, ever-changing reality with an infinity of viewpoints depending on the time, place, nature and state of the one who is the viewer and that which is viewed.
This leads to the doctrine of syadvada or relativity, which states that truth is relative to different viewpoints (nayas). What is true from one point of view is open to question from another. Absolute truth cannot be grasped from any particular viewpoint alone because absolute truth is the sum total of all the different viewpoints that make up the universe. Because it is rooted in the doctrines of anekantavada and syadvada, Jainism does not look upon the universe from an anthropocentric, ethnocentric or egocentric viewpoint. It takes into account the viewpoints of other species, other communities and nations and other human beings.
4. Samyaktva (equanimity)
The discipline of non-violence, the recognition of universal interdependence and the logic of the doctrine of manifold aspects, leads inexorably to the avoidance of dogmatic, intolerant, inflexible, aggressive, harmful and unilateral attitudes towards the world around. It inspires the personal quest of every Jain for samyaktva (equanimity) towards both jiva (animate beings) and ajiva (inanimate substances and objects). It encourages an attitude of give and take and of live and let live. It offers a pragmatic peace plan based, not on the domination of nature, nations or other people, but on an equanimity of mind devoted to the preservation of the balance of the universe.
5. Jiva-daya (compassion, empathy and charity)
Although the term `ahimsa’ is stated in the negative (a = non, himsa = violence), it is rooted in a host of positive aims and actions which have great relevance to contemporary environmental concerns. Ahimsa is an aspect of daya (compassion, empathy and charity), described by a great Jain teacher as “the beneficent mother of all beings” and “the elixir for those who wander in suffering through the ocean of successive rebirths.”
Jiva-daya means caring for and sharing with all living beings, tending, protecting and serving them. It etrails universal friendliness (maitri), universal forgiveness (kshama) and universal fearlessness (abhaya).Jains, whether monks, nuns or householders, therefore, affirm prayerfully and sincerely, that their heart is filled with forgiveness for all living beings and that they have sought and received the forgiveness of all beings, that they crave the friendship of all beings, that all beings give them their friendship and that there is not the slightest feeling of alienation or enmity in their heart for anyone or anything. They also pray that forgiveness and friendliness may reign throughout the world and that all living beings may cherish each other.
JAIN COSMOLOGY
Jains do not acknowledge an intelligent first cause as the creator of the universe. The Jain theory is that the universe has no beginning or end. It is traced to jiva and ajiva, the two everlasting, uncreated, independent and coexisting categories. Consciousness is jiva. That which has no consciousness is ajiva. There are five substances of ajiva:
Dharma   :  the medium of motion
Adharma :  the medium of rest
Akasha   :  space
Pudgala  :  matter
Kala       :  time
Pudgala (matter) has form and consists of individual atoms (paramanu) and conglomerates of atoms (skandha) which can be seen, heard, smelt, tasted and/or touched. According to Jains, energy, or the phenomena of sound, darkness, shade, heat, light and the like, is produced by conglomerates of atoms. 
The jiva (soul) has no form but, during its worldly career, it is vested with a body and becomes subject to an inflow of karmic `dust’ (asravas). These are the subtle material particles that are drawn to a soul because of its worldly activities. The asrawas bind the soul to the physical world until they have brought about the karmic result when they fall away `like ripe fruit’ by which time other actions have drawn more asravas to the soul.With the exception of the Arihantas (the Ever-Perfect) and the Siddhas (the Liberated), who have dispelled the passions which provide the `glue’ for the asravas, all souls are in karmic bondage to the universe. They go through a continuous cycle of death and rebirth in a personal evolution that can lead at last to moksha (eternal release). In this cycle there are countless souls at different stages of their personal evolution; earth-bodies, water-bodies, fire-bodies, air-bodies, vegetable-bodies, and mobile bodies ranging from bacteria, insects, worms, birds and larger animals to human beings, infernal beings and celestial beings.
The Jain evolutionary theory is based on a grading of the physical bodies containing souls according to the degree of sensory perception. All souls are equal but are bound by varying amounts of asravas (karmic particles) which is reflected in the type of body they inhabit. The lowest form of physical body has only the sense of touch. Trees and vegetation have the sense of touch and are therefore able to experience pleasure and pain, and have souls. Mahavira taught that only the one who understood the grave demerit and detriment caused by destruction of plants and trees understood the meaning and merit of reverence for nature. Even metals and stones might have life in them and should not be dealt with recklessly.
Above the single-sense jivas are micro-organisms and small animals with two, three or four senses. Higher in the order are the jivas with five senses. The highest grade of animals and human beings also possess rationality and intuition (manas). As a highly evolved form of life, human beings have a great moral responsibility in their mutual dealings and in their relationship with the rest of the universe. It is this conception of life and its eternal coherence, in which human beings have an inescapable ethical responsibility, that made the Jain tradition a cradle for the creed of environmental protection and harmony.
THE JAIN CODE OF CONDUCT
1. The five vratas (vows): The five vratas (vows) in the Jain code of conduct are:
Non-violence in thought, word and deed,
To seek and speak the truth, 
To behave honestly and never to take anything by force or theft,
To practise restraint and chastity in thought, word and deed,
To practice non-acquisitiveness.
The vow of ahimsa is the first and pivotal vow. The other vows may be viewed as aspects of ahimsa which together form an integrated code of conduct in the individual’s quest for equanimity and the three jewels (ratna-traya) of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. The vows are undertaken at an austere and exacting level by the monks and nuns and are then called maha-vratas (great vows). They are undertaken at a more moderate and flexible level by householders and called the anu-vratas (`atomic’ or basic vows).
Underlying the Jain code of conduct is the emphatic assertion of individual responsibility towards one and all. Indeed, the entire universe is the forum of one’s own conscience. The code is profoundly ecological in its secular thrust and its practical consequences.
2. Kindness to animals
The transgressions against the vow of non‑violence include all forms of cruelty to animals and human beings. Many centuries ago, Jains condemned as evil the common practice of animal sacrifice to the gods. It is generally forbidden to keep animals in captivity, to whip, mutilate or overload them or to deprive them of adequate food and drink. The injunction is modified in respect of domestic animals to the extent that they may be roped or even whipped occasionally but always mercifully with due consideration and without anger.
3. Vegetarianism
Except for allowing themselves a judicious use of one-sensed life in the form of vegetables, Jains would not consciously take any life for food or sport. As a community they are strict vegetarians, consuming neither meat, fish nor eggs. They confine themselves to vegetable and milk products
4. Self-restraint and the avoidance of waste
By taking the basic vows, the Jain laity endeavor to live a life of moderation and restraint and to practice a measure of abstinence and austerity. They must not procreate indiscriminately lest they overburden the universe and its resources. Regular periods of fasting for self-purification are encouraged.In their use of the earth’s resources Jains take their cue from “the bee [that] sucks honey in the blossoms of a tree without hurting the blossom and strengthens itself’. Wants should be reduced, desires curbed and consumption levels kept within reasonable limits. Using any resource beyond one’s needs and misuse of any part of nature is considered a form of theft. Indeed, the Jain 
faith goes one radical step further and declares unequivocally that waste and creating pollution are acts of violence.
5. Charity
Accumulation of possessions and enjoyment for personal ends should be minimized. Giving charitable donations and one’s time for community projects generously is a part of a Jain householder’s obligations. That explains why the Jain temples and pilgrimage centers are well-endowed and well-managed. It is this sense of social obligation born out of religious teachings that has led the Jains to found and maintain innumerable schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, lodging 
houses, hostels, orphanages, relief and rehabilitation camps for the handicapped, old, sick and disadvantaged as well as hospitals for ailing birds and animals. Wealthy individuals are advised to recognize that beyond a certain point their wealth is superfluous to their needs and that they should manage the surplus as trustees for social benefit.
The five fundamental teachings of Jainism and the five-fold Jain code of conduct outlined in this Declaration are deeply rooted in its living ethos in unbroken continuity across the centuries. They offer the world today a time-tested anchor of moral imperatives and a viable route plan for humanity’s common pilgrimage for holistic environmental protection, peace and harmony in the universe.

Jai-Jinendra means "Praise to the Jinendra." i.e. Bhagwan Ke Guno Ka Gungan Karna.

Just like we say, "Hi!!" or , "Hello!!" or, "Namaste", when we meet others, we should also greet them by saying, "Jai-Jinendra".

This helps us in a lot of ways. We are honoring the virtuous. It helps others to recognize that  you are Jain.

Every morning and before you go to bed, you should say, "Jai-Jinendra", to your parents, sisters, brothers, and grandparents.
You should say, "Jai-Jinendra", to your guests.
You should also say, "Jai-Jinendra", to your teachers, other students at Jain Pathshala, and other Jains whom you see at the Jain Mandir or any other place.
When you talk on the telephone greet your friends with "Jai Jinendra".

Remember always greet others by saying "Jai-Jinendra".

Jainism is one of the oldest religions in the world. According to the tradition preserved in the scriptures, Jaina religion is eternal, and has been revealed again and again in every cyclic period of the world by innumerable Jinas (conquerors of Karmas) who are also known as Tirthankaras.

The whole span of time is divided into two equal cycles, Utsarpni (ascending) and Avasarpni (descending). Each Utsarpni and Avasarpni Kala is subdivided into six parts. The six divisions of Avasarpni are known as Sukhma-Sukhma (Happy-Happy), Sukhma (Happy), Sukhma-Dukhma (Happy-Unhappy), Dukhma - Sukhma (Unhappy-Happy), Dukhma (Unhappy) and Dukhma-Dukhma (Unhappy-Unhappy). The six divisions of Utsarpni start from Dukhma - Dukhma (Unhappy-Unhappy), and repeats in ascending order. The Utsarpni, therefore, marks a period of gradual evolution and the Avasarpni that of gradual devolution or decline in happiness, bodily strength, stature, span of life, and the length of the age itself. The First age being the longest and the Sixth the shortest.

The First, Second and Third ages are called Bhogbhumi and are based on enjoyment, they relies mostly on nature. Life in the other three ages is described as a Karambhumi, since it is based on individual effort. The fourth age of either cycle is supposed to be the best from the point of view of salvation. In this era 24 Tïrthankaras and other great personages which are called Treshath Shalaka Purush (63 Great Personalities) are born. Present era is called Fifth era of the Avasarpni (descending half-circle) of the current cycle of time, This era commenced a few years after Mahavira's nirvana (527 B.C.) and has 21000 years of duration.

Twenty-four Tïrthankaras born at certain intervals in this era preached the true religion for the salvation of the world. Their names are : (1) Rishabha or Adinatha (2) Ajitnatha, (3) Sambhavnatha, (4) Abhinandannatha, (5) Sumatinatha, (6) Padmprabha, (7) Suparsávnatha, (8) Chandraprabha, (9) Suvidhinatha or Pushpadanta, (10) shitalnatha , (11) shriyansha, (12) Vaspujya, (13) Vimalnatha, (14) Anantnatha , (15) Dharmnatha, (16) Shantinatha, (17) Kunthunatha, (18) Arainatha, (19) Mallinatha, (20) Munisuvratnatha, (21) Naminatha, (22) Neminatha, (23) Parsávanatha, and (24) Vardhaman or Mahavira.

All the Tïrthankaras were Ksastriyas; Munisuvratnath and Neminatha belonged to Harivansa, and the remaining twenty-two to the Ikshuvansa race. According to the Jaina scriptures, RISHABHA OR ADINATHA, belonged to the Ikshuvansa family and was born at Ayodhya. He was the first Tirthankra of this era. His parents were Nabhiraja and Marudevi. His son's name was Bharata after whom India is said to be named. He was born at the end of bhogbhoomi period, in an age when people relied on nature, and nature was so benevolent that they got every thing they needed from the nature. They have not to produce anything for their living. He taught to the people, the arts of agriculture, cooking, writing, pottery, painting and sculpture for the first time at the start of fourth age which was the start of age of Karambhoomi. It was during his time that the institution of marriage, the ceremony of cremating the dead, started. We may, thus, look upon him as a great pioneer in the history of today’s human progress.

Lord Mahavira or Vardhamana who lived in 6th century BC , as generally mentioned by some historians was not the founder of Jainism, but a 24th Thirthankara, or Prophet of Jainism. Historically, there is little doubt that Jainism existed before Mahavira. The Yajurveda mentions the names of three Thirthankaras, namely Rishabha or Adinatha , Ajithanatha, and Aristanemi or Neminatha . The Bhagavatha Purana acknowledges Rishabhadeva as the founder of Jainism. Some Vedic preceptors regarded Tïrthankara Rishabha or Adinatha, as Mahadeva. Arishtnemi or Neminätha the twenty-second Tïrthankara of the Jainas mentioned in these scriptures was the son of a king named Samudravijaya of Shauripura, a big town on the bank of the Yamuna. His mother's name was Árudevi.

Neminatha , according to the Treshath-shalaka-purush -purana, was a cousin of Lord Krishna, who negotiated his marriage with Rajulmati, daughter of Ugrasena, ruler of Dwarika, but Neminatha, taking compassion on the animals which were to be slaughtered for the marriage feast, left the marriage procession suddenly and renounced the world and proceeded to the mount Girnara, where he attained salvation.

Parsvanatha, the 23rd Thirthankara, lived some 200-250 years before Mahavira. he attained Nirväna (liberation) in 777 B.C. on the summit of Mount Sammedshikhara, now named Parsavanatha hill after him.

Many of the relics, recovered from the excavations at Mohenjodaro and Harappa, are related to Jaina tradition. The nude images in the standing posture closely resemble the Jaina images. Kayotsarga is generally supposed to belong to the Jaina tradition. There are some idols even in Padmasana pose. A few others, found at Mohenjo-daro, have hoods of serpents. They probably belonged to pre-Vedic period and resembles to The image of the seventh Tïrthankara, Suparsavnatha, who has a canopy of serpent-hoods.

Kalinga (Modern Orissa) was home to many Jains in the past. Rishabha, the first Tirthankar, was revered and worshipped, and was revered as 'Kalinga Jin'. It was destroyed by Mahapadma Nanda when he conquered Kalinga and he brought the idol of Rishabhnath to his capital in Magadh. However, in the 1st century BC Emperor Kharvela conquered Magadha and brought Rishabhnath's idol back and installed it in Udaygiri, near his capital, Shishupalgarh. The Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves near Bhubaneswar are the only surviving stone monuments dedicated to Jainism in Orissa. Many of the earlier buildings were made of wood, and were destroyed.

Decipherment of Brahmi by James Prinsep in 1788 enabled the reading of ancient inscriptions in India, which established the antiquity of Jainism. Discovery of Jain manuscripts, a process that continues today, has added significantly to retracing the history of Jainism. Jain archaeological findings are often from Maurya, Sunga, Kushan, Gupta, Kalachuries, Rashtrakut, Chalukya, Chandel and Rajput and later periods. Several western and Indian scholars have contributed to the reconstruction of Jain history. They include western historians like Buhler, Jacobi, and Indian scholars like Iravatham Mahadevan, who has worked on Tamil Brahmi inscriptions.

During the time of Buddha and Mahavira, Jainism was already an ancient and deeply entrenched faith and culture in the region. Over several thousand years, Jain religion influenced Hindu philosophy and religion considerably. For instance, the very concept of Puja is Jain. The Vedic Religion prescribed yajnas and havanas for the propitiation of gods. Puja is a specifically Jain concept, arising from the Tamil words, "pu" (flower) and "ja" (offering).

The Prakarita language which was the common language in those times is the language of the canonical works of the Jainas. Jainism had been for one and all without any distinction of caste or creed. Jainism laid stress on the doctrine of Ahimsa. Jains have significantly influenced the religious, ethical, political and economic spheres in India for over two millennia. Jainism stresses spiritual independence and equality of all life with particular emphasis on non-violence. Self-control) is vital for attaining omniscience (kevala jnana) and eventually Salvation, or realization of the soul's true nature. One of the main characteristics of Jain belief is the emphasis on the consequences of one's behavior. According to Jainism, strict asceticism is the only way to attain salvation.

Jainism is rapidly expanding in the West. With 10 to 12 million followers, Jainism is among the smallest of the major world religions, but in India its influence is much more than these numbers would suggest. Jains live throughout India; Outside India, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) have large Jain communities today. Jainism is presently a strong faith in the United States and several Jain temples have been built there. American Jainism accommodates all the sects. Smaller Jain communities exist in Nepal, South Africa, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Fiji, and Suriname. In Belgium the very successful Indian diamond community, almost all of them are Jain. Jains continue to sustain the ancient traditions, they have an ancient tradition of scholarship. The Jain community is the most literate religious community in India, and the Jain libraries are India's oldest.

In the Digambara Ascetism the monks are known as Muni or Muni Maharaj. They are organized in two different sanghas or groups which are known after the leader of the group or Acharya.

The one who wants to renounce the world on religious grounds, begins to qualify successively for the 11 basic vows. He starts to control his behavior, to abstain from violence, to practice truth, to abstain from possession and attachment, and to live a life of a celibacy. Thus disciplined over a period of time, a person prepares for renunciation. He approaches an Acharya or the head of a group of monks and asks his permission for diksha, initiation. If the candidate is a grown-up person devoid of bodily faults and has acquired the consent of his nearest relatives-parents or wife-he is given permission to renounce the world. The community gets together in a festive atmosphere. He is given a new name which ends in such compounds as 'sagar'(means-ocean); or 'ananda' (means-joy); for example, 'shantisagar " (means-the ocean of peace) or 'vidyananda' (means-joy of knowledge).

Among Digambara Ascetics three stages of monkhood can be distinguished. The monks of the first stage are called ksullaka and are permitted to wear two white clothes. Those of the second stage are ellaka and allowed to wear one loincloth. The monks of the final stage or the munis go naked. Also, different degrees of asceticism are expected during these three stages of monkhood. A ksullaka, for instance, is allowed to shave his head unlike the monks of the other two stages who have to pluck out the hair. A full monk eats once a day in standing posture, where as ksullaka may eat twice in sitting posture.

Daily Routine Of a JAIN Monk

A monk who has renounced the world is without a home and without possessions and therefore moves around completely naked. The only objects he is allowed to carry are a kamandalu, water-pot, and a pinchi, a fly-whisk of peacock feathers. To practice a strict and severe ascetic life, a monk always lives in the company of other monks. Normally a monk gets up before sunrise to carry out his daily routine. In an open field he finds a clean patch of ground devoid of insects, to perform his daily necessities. After washing his hands and feet (a monk is not allowed to take a bath) he comes back to his monastic chamber where he undertakes his daily samayika or study of texts and sits in meditation to identify his faults such as negligence in behavior towards living creatures. After this he goes to a nearby temple to perform chaityavandana or worship of the jina. On return he goes out for food to any of the shravakas (people of the Jain family) house for food. A monk keeps the thumb and the four fingers of his right hand joined together while resting on his shoulder. This is called ahara mudra. If he loses this posture on his way to the host-house-holder he is not supposed to eat on that day. This way the monk does not rest assured about the pleasure of obtaining food. A Digambara monk eats in standing posture from the hollow of his hands. The standing posture is prescribed because if a monk cannot stand anymore due to old age or illness the body is to be discarded by fasting till death (called as Salekhana). For eating or drinking he does not use any pots or pans. He eats the prescribed vegetarian food irrespective of preference. After having eaten, the monk goes back to the temple to practice samayika for at least 48 minutes in order to train his mind so that neither pain nor joy may affect him. If he then does not continue his journey on the same day he stays on and his admirers, the lay-community, gather around him to listen to his preaching. Afterwards the monks read together some scriptures or enter into religious discourses.

The monks usually spend the night in a cell near the temples. they sleep on the 'floor'or on a flat wooden board, They take very little sleep and pass there nights in yoga practices .

A monk should wander around in the dry season. He should not get used to one place, should be without a house and without any attachment. During the four monsoon months, however, he should stay at one place together with his Acharya, because at this time the growth and development of vegetation and insects are rapid. While wandering, a monk is not allowed to use any vehicle or boat. He has to walk barefoot. To cross rivers he walks along the bank till he finds a ford where he is able to cross over. But the water should not be deeper than the level of the knees. Also, he is not allowed to swim.

All Digambara munis pluck out the hair four times a year. This is done mostly in front of the lay-community of the village. They pluck out the hair in bunches.Sometimes during this event, to stop bleeding sharavaks rub ashes on their head. In case a muni is too old or too weak for this, then sharavaks help him to pull out his hair. When a muni is sick, he does not eat food or drink any water. Devotees surrounding him sing devotional songs in loud chorus. After his death the body is placed in a sitting posture in a wooden palanquin named chakdo. It is then taken around in a procession and cremated on a sandalwood pyre.

Digambar (sky-clad in Sanskrit), also spelled Digambara is one of the two main sects of Jainism, the other being Svetambar.

The modern Jainism is generally divided into two traditions, Digambar and Svetambar. Generally Digambar monks wear no clothes (dig ambar = sky clad), Svetambar (swet ambar = white clad) monks usually wear white clothes.

Until the leadership of Acharya Bhadrabahu, there was no significant division. After that some divisions gradually arose. Senior Digambar monks wear no clothes, following the practice of Lord Mahavira. They do not consider themselves to be nude -- they are wearing the environment or stated differently the quintessential, akasha or space. Digambaras believe that this practice represents a refusal to give in to the body's demands for comfort and private property -- only Digambara ascetics are required to forsake clothing. Digambara ascetics have only two possessions: a peacock feather broom and a water gourd. Svetambara monks usually wear white clothes, maintaining that nudity is no longer practicable. While there are some differences in some practices, the main principles like Mahavratas, Anuvratas etc. are the same.

The native Jain communities of Maharashta, Bundelkhand (MP/UP), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu are all Digambaras. In north India, the Saravagis and the Agrawals are also Digambaras. In Gujarat and Southern Rajasthan, the majority of Jains follow the Svetambara tradition, although some Jain communities of these regions like the Humad are also Digambaras.

Digambara also has different communities under it such as Saitwal, Lad, Khandelwal, Bagherwal, Aggarwal etc. Saitwal is a well-known and well-organized caste of Marathi-speaking Jain communities. They are high in number. Saitwals are spread all over Maharashtra, South Madhya Pradesh and North Karnatak.

The traditional occupation of Saitwals is tailoring. This is a well-educated community and it has given many writers and scholars to the Jain community. They are progressive and social-minded. Most of their surnames are based on their original villages.

Parwars mainly come from Bundelkhand (MP/UP). They are one of the most learned amongst Jains. Most Pandits and Pujaris of tirthakshetras are Parwars.