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Development & Impact of Jainism in India & Abroad
TirthankaraRishabhanatha Seera Pahari (Panna)
and by his Nimittagyan (Astrological knowledge) he came to know that a femine of 12 years is coming in northern India hence it will not be possible to perform the practices (Charya) of Dig. Jain Muni in north. In light of it Acharya Bhadrabahu Instructed the sangh to move towards South. King Chandra gupta mourya took the renunciation (Diksha) from Acharya Bhadrabahu and became Muni Prabhachandra. He went to shravanbelgola with Acharya Bhadrabahu's Sangh. The fact is supported by an inscriptions of shravanbelgola specially Parsvanath Basadi Inscription No-1, 71, 77 etc.
A group of Jain monks stayed in Ujjain under the leadership of Sthulbhadra but due to bad condition of femine they can't retained his life style as par tradition.
After a femine of 12 years when this sangh came back in north they saw that many of them left their charya. After the discourse some of them adopted their original life style as per canonical literature charya and some accepted relaxation in modified form which include wearing some clothes, collecting the food from various houses (Bhiksha etc.). This became the cause of division of Jain Sangha into two parts Digambara & Shwetambara.
The same incidence is quoted by Encyclopedia Britanica?
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