Neha Patil (Editor)

Jain community

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The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Śramaṇa tradition. They follow Jainism, the religion taught by the twenty-four propagators of faith called tirthankaras. Total Jain Population is estimated to be 7+ million people worldwide.

Contents

Sangha

Jainism has a fourfold order of muni (male monastics), aryika (female monastics), Śrāvaka (layman) and sravika (laywoman). This order is known as a sangha.

Cultural influence

The Jains have 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%. It is also believed that the Jains have the highest per capita income in India. Jain community though very small in numbers, contributes a significant percent of Income tax revenue of India.

Communities

There are about 110 different Jain communities in India and overseas. They can be divided into six groups based on historical and current residence.

Central India

  • Jainism in Bundelkhand
  • Jainism in Madhya Pradesh
  • Western India

  • Jainism in Gujarat (Gujarati Jain)
  • Jainism in Maharashtra (Marathi Jain)
  • Jainism in Mumbai
  • 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)
  • Eastern India

  • Jainism in Bengal
  • Jainism in Nagaland
  • Overseas Jains

    Virchand Gandhi made a presentation of Jainism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893, marking one of the earliest appearances of Jainism outside India. The World Jain Congress was held in Leicester in 1988.

  • Jainism in Europe
  • Jainism in America
  • Jainism in Canada
  • 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 Visa Oshwal Jain community originally from the Jamnagar area of Saurashtra., Most members of this community belonged to Gujarati speaking Halari Visa Oshwal Jain community originally from the Jamnagar area of Saurashtra.,
  • Population

    The Jain population in India according to 2011 census is 0.37% 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 India as per 2011 Census data released by government in major states is:

    It is likely that the actual population of Jains may be significantly higher than the census numbers.

    The Jain population in United States is estimated to be about 10,000 to 200,000.

    References

    Jain community Wikipedia