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Marriage and Position of Woman
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such factions are regarded as barriers for the purpose of contracting matrimonial alliances. This can be termed as factional or group endogamy. In the Hummada caste of Sholapur City there were, some years back, two groups led by important persons and generally there was absence of marriage relations between the groups. Over the question of accepting Bhattārakas as gurus, Saitavālas were split up into two groups and these groups, a few year back, were practically endogamous. In the Kaira District there are such endogamous groups among Svetāmbara Jainas. 8%
From these various types of endogamy existing at present in the Jaina community it is clear that the field of selection has been limited to a very great extent. The multiplicity of castes and subcastes, their distribution over a wide area, and their divisions into different religions and groups, have indeed resulted in creating a stage in which practically very little choice is left to the people in selecting their marriage partners.
According to the rules of exogamy a person cannot marry within the members of a particular group. There are several such exogamous groups within an endogamous group and people have to select their marriage partners from outside the exogamous group and within the endogamous group. The exogamous group is generally known as Gotra and it has been enjoined upon the Jainas not to marry a girl from the same Gotra. The Gotras of the bride and bridegroom should be different (at the time of marri This means that Sagotra Marriage, i. e., marriages between the members of the same Gotra, is forbidden and that is why Gotra forms one of the important considerations in contracting a marriage. Therefore, the following facts in respect of Jaina Gotras may be noted.
In the first place the exact number of Gotras prevailing in the Jaina community is not known. Generally they are considered to be 84 in number. 84 From the published and unpublished works Dr. A. N. Upadhye has compiled a list of 140 Jaina Gotras. 86 But these lists are not comprehensive in the sense that they do not mention the names of all Jaina Gotras known at present. There is a large number of such Gotras. The Agravalas have got 17 Gotras, Osavālas 1444, Khandelavalas 84, Srimālis 135, Poravadas 24, Hummadas 18, Saitavālas 44, etc. 88 It is said that in Mysore
