Jaina Community a Social Survey

SR No.: 007019
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vilas Sangve
Publisher: Popular Book Depot Bombay
Publication Year: 1980
Total Pages: 484
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 12 MB

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Jaina Community-A Social Survey
replied that it was due to sacrificing a Jaina ascetic and advised him to accept Jainism. Accordingly the King and the inhabitants of all 84 places embraced Jainism. Jinasena Achārya formed a caste of them, named it as Khandelavāla after the capital town Khaņdela and created 84 gotras out of 84 towns. A list of these gotras, towns, dynasties and their family deities will be found in Appendix XI.104 According to another account there were four brothers who were soldiers. One day they went out hunting and killed a favourite deer belonging to a hermit. He was about to destroy them by curse, when they promised to abandon soldiering and hunting. From them the present Khaņdelavālas are descended.105
From the above account it appears that Khandelavālas were originally Kshatriyas but later on became Vaisyas by taking to commercial activities. They form an important section of Digambara Jainas. It is interesting to note that like other Baniyā castes they are not divided into Visā and Dasā sections. They are big bankers, commercial magnates and land-holders.
(vi) Paravāra :
Paravāra is one of the well-known castes among the Jainas. Paravāras are found among the Hindus also but they are mostly Jainąs. They are mainly Digambara Jainas and practically there are no Svetāmbara Paravāras. They are spread over a wide area, viz. the Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Malwa, Bihar and Bombay but they are concentrated in Madhya Pradesh where more than half of their population resides. Even in Madhya Pradesh Paravāras are found almost entirely in Sagar, Damoha and Jabalpur Districts.
The origin of the Paravāras and of their name is not known, but there is some reason to suppose that they are from Rajputana. It seems likely that the Paravāras may be identical with Poravādas in which case they belong to Rajputana.106
Among the Paravāras Charanāgare or Samaiya form a separate sectarian Jaina group. The Charanāgares reside principally in the Damoha and Chhindawara Districts of Madhya Pradesh. Charanāgare is one of the six castes following Täranapantha or Samaiyapantha, a sub-sect of Digambaras. Charanāgares were formerly giving their daughters in marriage to Paravāras but this practice