Book Title: ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01
Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies
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B.1.2.1.1
Towards a Sociology of the Jain Community
Prof. Prakash C. Jain
1.0 Introduction Although much research has been done on the literary, religious and philosophical aspects of Jainism, sociological/anthropological research of the Jaina community as well as Jainism continues to remain in incipiency. This paper argues for the Sociology of the Jaina Community by suggesting a few areas of research that deserve priority. These areas are demographic structure, social structure, social change and social stratification, and the Jainas in Diaspora, to name only a few.
Since the time of Mahāvīra, people of different varņas and jātis, from many areas, have accepted the Jaina religion, making the Jaina society heterogeneous. Thus, the Jainas are a community, or rather a grouping of communities, as well as followers of a religion, and as they originated from different background, they organized themselves into differing groups known as jñāti to facilitate smooth functioning of the society.
1.1 Jains in India The Jainas are one of the oldest religious communities of India. Although the origin of Jainism is lost in antiquity, it was revived by Lord Mahāvīra during the sixth century B.C. Jainism as well as Buddhism belongs to the śramaņa tradition, a tradition that is distinct from the Vedic tradition and is considered even older and indigenous. As a social movement Jainism was opposed to caste system, secondary status of women, and dominance of priestly class (namely Brahmins), ritual sacrifices, slavery and monarchical basis of polity. In ancient India Jainism was a force to reckon with and had a considerable influence on the various North Indian kingdoms and parts of Mysore and Tamil Nadu in south India.
1.2 Demographic Trends The Jainas have always been a minority community in India. The current population of Jainas is estimated around 4.4 million. They are heavily concentrated in the western half of India, particularly Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Western Uttar Pradesh. About 200,000 Jains are in Diaspora, particularly in East Africa, North America and the U.K. Since the 1881 Census the Jains never constituted more than half a percent of the total population of India. About 80% of the Jaina population is
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