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culture which was distinct from and independent of the Brahmanical. It is a fully developed system with all the necessary limbs and accessories, possesses several sects and sub-sects, and owns quite a rich cultural heritage. It is known to have drawn its adherents from almost every caste and social group, and even at present it is diffused in all parts of the Indian Union, a few Jains residing in many foreign lands as well.
The first in the series of the 24 Jinas or Tirthankaras of the current cycle of time, was Adinatha Rishabhadeva. He belongs to remote pre-historic times and is believed to have been the first temporal as well as spiritual leader of mankind, who inaugurated the ‘age of action', the beginnings of human civilization and the practice of religion. The last three Tirthankaras were Arishtanem, a cousin of Krishna Vasudeya of the Mahabharata fame (crica 1450 B.C. ), Parshvanatha ( 877-777 B.C. ) and Vardhamana Mahavira ( 599-527 B.C. ).
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