Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline

Author(s): Narendra Nath Bhattacharya
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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Introduction 5 are generally temples with an open porch (mandapa), a closed hall or assembly (sabhāmaņdapa) and an inner shrine (garbhagrha) in which the idol is kept. Upāśrayas or buildings for monks and nuns are used by the Sthānakaväsis as places of Worship, while the Tāraṇapanthis, the folllowers of a non-idolatrous subsect of the Diagambaras worship scriptures in buildings called Caityālayas. In the Digambara temples the priest is always a Jain, but in the Svetāmbara temples he may be a Hindu also. The temples are usually very neat and clean.
The Jains undertake fasts for self purification and perform festivals to commemorate the important events of the past. The most important fast is known as Paryūşaņa or Daśalaksna-parva which takes place, according to the Digambaras, from the fifth to the fourteenth day of the bright half of the month of Bhādra, and according to the Svetāmbaras, from the twelfth day of the dark half of Śrāvaņa to the fifth day of the bright half of Bhādra. Besides, there are other fasts and festivals like Siddhacakra-pūjā, Așțānhika, Mahāvīra jayanti, Viraśāsana-jayanti, Śrutapañcamnī, Dīpāvalī, Rakşābandhana, Akşayatsiyā and others. In addition to all these, the Svetāmbaras observe a number of special days of abstinence. The bathing of Gommateśvara at Sravanabelgola is one of the rare festivals of the Digambaras. Throughout India the Jains have numerous tīrthas or places of pilgrimage, the important ones being Şammetaśikhara (the Paresnath Hill in the Hazaribagh District), Pāvāpura Patna District), Girnāra (group of hills in Kathiawar), Satruñjaya Hills (in Kathiawar), Mount Abu (in Rajasthan, famous for the Dilwara temples), Śravanabelgolā (Hassan District, Mysore) etc.?
According to the Digambaras, a Śrāvaka or a layman has to pass through 53 ceremonies, right from his conception up to his death, while the Svetāmbaras observe 16 such ceremonies. These are not, however, practised in a uniform manner. The life of a Jain is marked by observances of ethical disciplines. The ascetic's life is regarded as a continuation of householder's life and as such the rules of conduct are exactly the same for both, laymen and asceties, thus fostering an intimate relationship between the two main divisions of the community. The difference is that the ascetics are to observe the ethical codes more strictly and elaborately. The vows are divided into two
1Stevenson, NMJ, pp. 92ff; HJ, p. 285; Russell, TCCPI, I, pp. 227-29. *Stevenson in ERE, V, pp. 875-78.