Jain Journal 1977 10

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 36

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which were not much disturbed by the social, economic and political turmoils for a long time13.
As the Svetambara Jaina monastic orders of West India and the Digambara Jaina monastic orders of South India have been separated by some sort of social conditions for several hundred years, so they have followed separate evolutionary pathways of ascetic life, which are slightly different, but they are still closely related monastic orders of the same ancestral or parental Jaina Tirtha. The facts about the distribution of Jaina Sanghas etc. constitute the science of Jaina Sangha-geography one of the basic tenets of which is that each Jaina Sangha originated only once. The particular place where this occurred is known as its centre of origin 14. The centre of origin is not a single point but the range of population of Sravakas when the new Jaina Sanghas was formed. From its headquarters each Sangha spread out for pilgrimage until halted by a barrier of some kind-physical, climatic, geographical, biologic, the absence of food and drink or subhikṣa or the presence of rival monastic orders which competed with it for spiritual supremacy, subhikṣā, honour, etc. and the opposition of other religious sects, etc.
Jaina Mission-Realms:
JAIN JOURNAL
Careful studies of the distribution of Jaina Sanghas, ganas, gacchas, etc., over India have revealed the existence of six major monastic realms, each of which is characterized by certain unique monastic constitutions. Although the divisions were originally based on ecclesiastical distribution, they have since then been found valid for many other sects of Jaina Sangha. The areas of any division are often widely separated with great variations of climate and topography and social conditions, but it has been possible, during most pre-Agamic and post-Agamic ages for the Jaina monastic orders to pass more or less freely from one part of the realm to another for missionary activities. In contrast the areas are separated from each other by major physical barriers, usages, etc. Northern region comprised the United Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and
13
In Rajasthan and Gujarat the Hindu kings were the patrons of Jainadharma and protected it from any kind of onslaught on it by giving proper honour and security to it. Similarly, in Southern India, particularly Karnataka and other regions, the people and the kings welcomed this religion and gave full protection to it in the early stage of Jaina mission by donating land, etc. for Jaina monasteries, See Jaina Silalekha Sangraha I-IV; Jainism in South India, Desai, p. 13.
14 For example, Tapagaccha originated from Chittorgarh which is the center of its rise.