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Jaina Community-A Social Survey
to comprise a' Ghola', that is, a particular locality and therefore all places coming under the jurisdiction of that 'Ghola' have a common Sangha'. Further, it is stated that among the Cutchi Dasa Osavāla Murtipujaka Svetām bara Jainas there is a new casteorganisation known as 'Mahajana'. Every thirty adult members, including ladies, elect one representative and such elected representatives of Cutchi Dasa Osavāla Mūrtipujaka Śvetām bara Jainas residing in any part of India constitute the Central Mahajana. There are also provincial and local Maha janas which have to work under the direction of the Central Mahajana.
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The duties, which are enjoined upon the caste Panchayatas to perform, are not many. In general their duties can be divided into two broad categories, namely, religious and social. In the first category are included the duties like the repairs and maintenance of temples owned by the caste and making necessary arrangements for the celebration of various religious festivals. They are also required to see whether the important religious injunctions are strictly observed by their members. The social duties are concerned mainly with the settlement of caste-disputes arising especially out of various marriage restrictions imposed by the caste upon its members. All questions regarding marriage like the number and choice of partners, age of marriage, way of marriage-ceremony, widow-remarriage, divorce, adultery, etc. are dealt with by the Panchayata and this forms the main part of its duties.
There is no fixed rule regarding the ways of raising the funds required for the performance of the duties mentioned above. The funds are collected either through big grants or small voluntary contributions. At many places regular compulsory contribution: from members are not taken and where such contributions are evied they are nominal. The contributions vary from Re. 1/- to Rs. 5/- per family per year and only at a few places it is collected at the rate of Re. 1/- per married person. Another source of income is that of fines collected from its members but it seems that the amount so collected is generally very negligible.
As regards the powers of Panchayatas it can be said that they are empowered to inflict various sorts of punishments upon the defaulters. Generally they give repeated warnings and if the warnings fail they take recourse to fines which in many cases are symbo
