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

Page 415

Retrospect
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and up to the Middle Ages it claimed a sufficiently large following throughout the different parts of India. But afterwards the numerical strength of the Jainas rapidly began to decline day by day, and the process is being continued up to the present day. The tendency is quite noticeable from the census figuies. The propora tion of Jainas in the total population of India was 0.48 per cent in 1881, while the same proportion according to 1941 census was 0.37 per cent.165 Even though according to 1971 Census the percentage of Jaina population to the total population of India has come up to 0.47, still it is a fact that this proportion is less than the proportion ( viz. 0.48 per cent) of the Jainas in the total population of India in 1881. Taking into account the incorrect enumeration and other factors it can safely be said that the growth of Jaina population is not keeping pace with the growth in the total population of India. It is therefore necessary to find out the causes of this continuous downfall in the number of Jaina population.
In the first place it may be noted that the sex composition of the Jainas is not even. According to 1971 census there are only 940 Jaina females per 1000 Jaina males and this proportion is less than that among the Christians and Buddhists. The deficiency of Jaina females seems to be continuous as ip 1901 also the proportion of females to males was 929 to 1000.166 This deficiency is further heightened if we take into account the sex composition of Jaina castes because the marriages as a rule have to be contracted within the members of a particular caste only. Thus in 1917 among the 'Budhelā' caste of North India there were in all only 100 females of marriageable age to 204 males of that age.167 This means that many males have compulsorily to remain bachelors throughout their life. Coupled with the dearth of females there is another reason which requires the males to remain unmarried and that is the permission given to males either to practise polygyny or to marry again after the dissolution of the first marriage. That is why we find that according to the latest figures of 1931 census the proportion of unmarried males among the Jainas was greater than that among the Hindus or Muslims or all people together.168 Again, not only there is continuous deficiency of females which undoubtedly comes in the way of growth of population, there are, about Jaina women, certain other significant