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Jaina Community - A Social Survey
plumes that are obtained by torturing their owners — animals and birds.254 For the same reason the use of silken and woollen garments is prohibited for all Jainas.255 Here we can mark the difference between the Hindus and the Jainas. The Hindus do not consider silk as impure and they use silken garments at the time of worshipping or taking their meals. It is necessary for Jainas to restrict, the use of leather goods to the minimum. They have to avoid all leather articles meant for decoration, for example, tigerskin, deer-skin, etc. and are required to use substitutes for leather goods wherever it is possible, for example, belts, purses, straps for watches, etc. Where the use of leather goods is unavoidable they have to see that leather is procured from naturally dead animals and not from slaughtered animals.
One of the rules of conduct meant for laymen lays down that a Jaina should dress according to his means, and if he has
he means to dress extravagantly, still he should not do so.256 This means that Jainas should not care much for their dress with a view to look more beautiful. According to them the clothes should be sobre, though not sombre, and they should not 'aim at displaying bodily contour, to excite the passions of the beholder.257
At present there is no particular standard dress of Jainas all over India. They dress according to local customs and usages. The native Jainas of a region are hardly distinguishable in the matter of dress from the other people of their standard of living. Thus there is little in common in regard to dress among the Jainas of different regions. Many Jainas, especially from Māravāda and Gujarātha, have settled in other provinces for commercial reasons but they have not fully adopted the dresses of respective provinces where they have settled. But there is a marked tendency among such Jainas to use the dress of the province of their adoption, especially among those who have settled permanently there and have severed all their connections with their home province. Thus the Hummada Jainas of Mahārāshțra, who have practically no relations with Hummadas of Gujarātha or Māravāda, have adopted the Mahārāshtrian dress completely. It is natural that this tendency is more discernible in the case of men than that of women,
What applies to dress is also true in the case of ornaments.
