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CHAPTER IX Contribution of Jainism to
Indian Culture
It is evident that Jainism is an ancient relgion of India and that right from hoary antiquity to the present day it has continued to flourish, along with other religions, in different parts of India. Jainas, the followers of Jainism, are, therefore, found all over India from ancient times. The Jainas are also known everywhere for the strict observance of their religious practices in their daily lives. That is why Jainism could survive in India for the last so many centuries. The Jainas, in this way, succeeded in continuing to exist as devout followers of a distinct religion in India.
But this is not the only distinguishing feature of Jainas in India. In fact the most outstanding characteristic of Jainas in India is their very impressive record of contributions to Indian culture. In comparison with the limited and small population of Jainas, the achievements of Jainas in enriching the various aspects of Indian culture are really great.
1. Languages and Literature
Perhaps the most creditable contribution of Jainas is in the field of languages and literature. It is quite evident that right from the Vedic period two different currents of thought and ways of life known as (a) Brāhmaṇa culture and (b) Sramana culture are prevalent in India. The Sramana culture is mainly represented by the Jainas and the Buddhists and of them the Jainas were the first to propagate that culture. That is why from ancient times we have the Sramaņa literature besides the Brāhmaṇic literature. The
