Jain communities

The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Śramaṇa tradition. They follow Jainism, the religion taught by the twenty-four propagators of faith called tirthankaras. The total Jain population is estimated to be 7+ million people worldwide.

Sangha

Jainism has a fourfold order of muni (male monastics), aryika (female monastics), Śrāvaka (layman) and sravika (laywoman). This order is known as a sangha.^{[citation needed]}

Cultural influence

The Jains have the highest literacy rate in India, 94.1.% compared with the national average of 65.38%. They have the highest female literacy rate, 90.6.% compared with the national average of 54.16%.^[1]^[2]

The Jain community, though very small in numbers, contributes a significant percent of the income tax revenue of India.^[3] It is also believed that the Jains have the highest per capita income in India.^[4]

The sex ratio in the 0-6 age group is the second lowest for Jains (870 females per 1000 males).

Communities

There are about 110 different Jain communities in India. They can be divided into six groups based on historical and current residence.

Central India

Jainism in Bundelkhand
Jainism in Madhya Pradesh

Western India

Northern India

Southern India

Eastern India

Overseas Jains

Virchand Gandhi made a presentation of Jainism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893, marking one of the earliest appearances of Jainism outside India.^[6] The World Jain Congress was held in Leicester in 1988.^[7]

Jainism in Europe
Jainism in America
Jainism in Canada
Jainism in East Africa - One of the oldest Jain overseas diaspora. Their number was estimated at 45,000 at the independence of the East African countries in the early 1960s.^[8] Most members of the diaspora belonged to Gujarati speaking Visa Oshwal Jain community originally from the Jamnagar area of Saurashtra.,^[8]^[8] Most members of this community belonged to Gujarati speaking Halari Visa Oshwal Jain community originally from the Jamnagar area of Saurashtra.,^[8]^[9]

Population

The Jain population in India according to 2011 census is 0.37% i.e. 4,451,753 (Males 2,278,097; Females 2,173,656) out of the total population of India 1,210,854,977 (males 623,270,258; females 587,584,719).^[10] The tabular representation of Jain population in the major states of India as per 2011 Census data released by the government is:

S. No.	State	Persons (total)	Persons (rural)	Persons (urban)	Male (total)	Male (rural)	Male (urban)	Female (total)	Female (rural)	Female (urban)
1	India	4,451,753	904,809	3,546,944	2,278,097	467,577	1,810,520	2,173,656	437,232	1,736,424
2	Maharashtra	1,400,349	269,959	1,130,390	713,157	140,476	572,681	687,192	129,483	557,709
3	Rajasthan	622,023	166,322	455,701	317,614	84,649	232,965	304,409	81,673	222,736
4	Gujarat	579,654	44,118	535,536	294,911	22,357	272,554	284,743	21,761	262,982
5	Madhya Pradesh	567,028	109,699	457,329	291,937	57,431	234,506	275,091	52,268	222,823
6	Karnataka	440,280	220,362	219,918	225,544	113,598	111,946	214,736	106,764	107,972
7	Uttar Pradesh	213,267	30,144	183,123	110,994	15,852	95,142	102,273	14,292	87,981
8	Delhi	166,231	192	166,039	85,605	94	85,511	80,626	98	80,528
9	Tamil Nadu	89,265	10,084	79,181	45,605	5,044	40,561	43,660	5,040	38,620

It is likely that the actual population of Jains may be significantly higher than the census numbers.^{[citation needed]}

The Jain population in United States is estimated to be about 150000 to 200,000.^[11]^[12]

Notes

^ "Jains steal the show with 7 Padmas", The Times of India, 9 April 2015
^ "Literacy race: Jains take the honours", The Times of India, 7 September 2004
^ "Jains' contribution to exchequer "astounding"", The Hindu, 20 August 2007
^ "Indian Government", PIB
^ Carrithers, Michael; Humphrey, Caroline, eds. (1991). The Assembly of Listeners: Jains in Society. Cambridge University Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-52136-505-5.
^ J. Gordon Melton & Martin Baumann 2010, p. 1555.
^ Dundas 2002, p. 246.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gregory, Robert G. (1993), Quest for equality: Asian politics in East Africa, 1900-1967, New Delhi: Orient Longman Limited, p. 26, ISBN 0-863-11-208-0
^ Mehta, Makrand (2001). "Gujarati Business Communities in East African Diaspora: Major Historical Trends". Economic and Political Weekly. 36 (20): 1738. JSTOR 4410637.
^ Office of registrar general and census commissioner (2011), C-1 Population By Religious Community, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
^ Lee, Jonathan H. X. (21 December 2010), Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife, ABC-CLIO, pp. 487–488, ISBN 978-0-313-35066-5
^ Wiley, Kristi L. (2004), Historical dictionary of Jainism, Scarecrow Press, p. 19, ISBN 978-0-8108-5051-4

References

J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann, eds. (2010), Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, vol. One: A-B (Second ed.), ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-59884-204-3
Shah, Natubhai (2004), Jainism, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-1938-2
Facets of Jainology : Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, Religion and Culture/Vilas Adinath Sangave. Mumbai, Popular Prakashan, 2001
Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26605-X

External links

hukonchu.com - one of the best resource for Jain literature and religious information with the use of latest technologies
JainConnect.org - newly evolving online portal/directory for the Jain community
[1] - exclusive matrimonial service for Jain Samaj
Jain Professional Network - first professional networking group for Jains all over the world
[2] - a portal to connect jains and discuss about Jainism and other things
"JAINISM IN AMERICA" by Yashwant K. Malaiya
Jain Jagruti Centre, Toronto
Jain Community, Jain Businessmen - community website, Jain information
Universal Hub for Jains - community website

[1] "Jains steal the show with 7 Padmas", The Times of India, 9 April 2015

[2] "Literacy race: Jains take the honours", The Times of India, 7 September 2004

[3] "Jains' contribution to exchequer "astounding"", The Hindu, 20 August 2007

[4] "Indian Government", PIB

[5] Carrithers, Michael; Humphrey, Caroline, eds. (1991). The Assembly of Listeners: Jains in Society. Cambridge University Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-52136-505-5.

[FOOTNOTEJ._Gordon_MeltonMartin_Baumann20101555-6] J. Gordon Melton & Martin Baumann 2010, p. 1555.

[FOOTNOTEDundas2002246-7] Dundas 2002, p. 246.

[google26-8] Gregory, Robert G. (1993), Quest for equality: Asian politics in East Africa, 1900-1967, New Delhi: Orient Longman Limited, p. 26, ISBN 0-863-11-208-0

[9] Mehta, Makrand (2001). "Gujarati Business Communities in East African Diaspora: Major Historical Trends". Economic and Political Weekly. 36 (20): 1738. JSTOR 4410637.

[10] Office of registrar general and census commissioner (2011), C-1 Population By Religious Community, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India

[11] Lee, Jonathan H. X. (21 December 2010), Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife, ABC-CLIO, pp. 487–488, ISBN 978-0-313-35066-5

[12] Wiley, Kristi L. (2004), Historical dictionary of Jainism, Scarecrow Press, p. 19, ISBN 978-0-8108-5051-4

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