The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Shramana tradition. People who practice Jainism, an ancient religion of the Indian subcontinent, are collectively referred to as Jains.
Sangha
Main article: Sangha (Jainism)
Jainism has a fourfold order of muni (male monastics), aryika (female monastics), Śrāvaka (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%.12
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.3 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. 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
Northern India
Southern India
- Jainism in Karnataka
- Jainism in Kerala
- Jainism in North Karnataka
- Jainism in Tamil Nadu (Tamil Jain)
Eastern India
Diaspora
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.4 The World Jain Congress was held in Leicester in 1988.5
- Jainism in Europe
- Jainism in Canada
- Jainism in the United States
- 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.6 Most members of the diaspora belonged to Gujarati speaking Halari Visa Oshwal Jain community originally from the Jamnagar area of Saurashtra.78
- 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).9 The tabular representation of Jain population in the major states of India as per 2011 Census data released by the government is:
| S. No. | State | Persons (total) | Persons (rural) | Persons (urban) | Male (total) | Male (rural) | Male (urban) | Female (total) | Female (rural) | Female (urban) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 4,451,753 | 904,809 | 3,546,944 | 2,278,097 | 467,577 | 1,810,520 | 2,173,656 | 437,232 | 1,736,424 |
| 2 | Maharashtra | 1,400,349 | 269,959 | 1,130,390 | 713,157 | 140,476 | 572,681 | 687,192 | 129,483 | 557,709 |
| 3 | Rajasthan | 622,023 | 166,322 | 455,701 | 317,614 | 84,649 | 232,965 | 304,409 | 81,673 | 222,736 |
| 4 | Gujarat | 579,654 | 44,118 | 535,536 | 294,911 | 22,357 | 272,554 | 284,743 | 21,761 | 262,982 |
| 5 | Madhya Pradesh | 567,028 | 109,699 | 457,329 | 291,937 | 57,431 | 234,506 | 275,091 | 52,268 | 222,823 |
| 6 | Karnataka | 440,280 | 220,362 | 219,918 | 225,544 | 113,598 | 111,946 | 214,736 | 106,764 | 107,972 |
| 7 | Uttar Pradesh | 213,267 | 30,144 | 183,123 | 110,994 | 15,852 | 95,142 | 102,273 | 14,292 | 87,981 |
| 8 | Delhi | 166,231 | 192 | 166,039 | 85,605 | 94 | 85,511 | 80,626 | 98 | 80,528 |
| 9 | Tamil Nadu | 89,265 | 10,084 | 79,181 | 45,605 | 5,044 | 40,561 | 43,660 | 5,040 | 38,620 |
The Jain population in United States is estimated to be about 150,000 to 200,000.1011
In Japan, there are more than 5,000 families who have converted to Jainism and the religion is growing there.12
See also
Citations
Sources
- Adam, Michel (2015), Indian Africa: Minorities of Indian-Pakistani Origin in Eastern Africa, Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, ISBN 978-9987-08-297-1
- Babb, Lawrence A. (2004), Alchemies of Violence: Myths of Identity and the Life of Trade in Western India, Sage, ISBN 978-0-7619-3223-9
- Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26605-X
- J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann, eds. (2010), Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, vol. One: A-B (Second ed.), ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-59884-204-3
- Facets of Jainology : Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, Religion and Culture/Vilas Adinath Sangave. Mumbai, Popular Prakashan, 2001
- Shah, Natubhai (2004), Jainism, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-1938-2
- Singh, K. S. (1989), People of India (Rajasthan ed.), Popular Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-7154-769-2
- Singh, K. S., ed. (2004), People of India: Maharashtra (Anthropological Survey of India), Mumbai, India: Popular Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-7991-102-0
- Singh, Kumar Suresh (2004), People of India: Maharashtra (Anthropological Survey of India), vol. 1, Popular Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-7991-100-6
External links
- Hukonchu.com - resource for Jain literature and religious information
- "Jainism in America" by Yashwant K. Malaiya
- Jain Jagruti Centre, Toronto
- Jain Temple at Palitana, Gujarat - Vidhya Vihaar
References
"Jains steal the show with 7 Padmas", The Times of India, 9 April 2015 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Jains-steal-the-show-with-7-Padmas/articleshow/46856659.cms ↩
"Literacy race: Jains take the honours", The Times of India, 7 September 2004 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Literacy-race-Jains-take-the-honours/articleshow/842893.cms ↩
"Delhi and Punjab richest states, Jain wealthiest community: National survey". 13 January 2018. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/delhi-and-punjab-richest-states-jain-wealthiest-community-national-survey/story-sakdd3MBOfKhU2p5LrNVUM.html ↩
J. Gordon Melton & Martin Baumann 2010, p. 1555. - J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann, eds. (2010), Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, vol. One: A-B (Second ed.), ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-59884-204-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=v2yiyLLOj88C ↩
Dundas 2002, p. 246. - Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26605-X https://books.google.com/books?id=X8iAAgAAQBAJ ↩
Gregory, Robert G. (1993), Quest for equality: Asian politics in East Africa, 1900-1967, New Delhi: Orient Longman Limited, p. 26, ISBN 0-863-11-208-0 0-863-11-208-0 ↩
Gregory, Robert G. (1993), Quest for equality: Asian politics in East Africa, 1900-1967, New Delhi: Orient Longman Limited, p. 26, ISBN 0-863-11-208-0 0-863-11-208-0 ↩
Mehta, Makrand (2001). "Gujarati Business Communities in East African Diaspora: Major Historical Trends". Economic and Political Weekly. 36 (20): 1738–1747. JSTOR 4410637. /wiki/JSTOR_(identifier) ↩
Office of registrar general and census commissioner (2011), C-1 Population By Religious Community, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/c-01.html ↩
Lee, Jonathan H. X. (21 December 2010), Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife, ABC-CLIO, pp. 487–488, ISBN 978-0-313-35066-5 978-0-313-35066-5 ↩
Wiley, Kristi L. (2004), Historical dictionary of Jainism, Scarecrow Press, p. 19, ISBN 978-0-8108-5051-4 978-0-8108-5051-4 ↩
"Thousands of Japanese making a smooth transition from Zen to Jain". Hindustan Times. 23 February 2020. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/thousands-of-japanese-making-a-smooth-transition-from-zen-to-jain/articleshow/74262195.cms ↩