Are Tamils Jains?
Are Tamils Jains?
Tamil Jains (Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit samaṇa “wandering renunciate”) are Tamils from Tamil Nadu, India, who practice Jainism (Tamil Samaṇam). The Tamil Jain is a microcommunity of around 85,000 (around 0.13% of the population of Tamil Nadu), including both Tamil Jains and north Indian Jains settled in Tamil Nadu.
Was Tamil Nadu a Jain?
Jainism has an extensive history in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, although practiced by a minority of Tamils in contemporary times. According to the 2011 India Census, Jains represent 0.12% of the total population of Tamil Nadu, and are of the Digambara sect.
Who killed Jains in Tamil Nadu?
Composed after the Nampi version, sometime in the second half of the 12th-century, Sambandhar is depicted in Takkayakapparani as one born on the earth to exterminate the Jains. In this version, Sambandar defeated the Jains in a war-like contest.
Are there Jains in South India?
Distinct from North Indian Jains or their descendants in the region, Tamil Jains trace their roots to the first millennium CE when Jainism and Buddhism were widely followed in South India. Many Tamil Jains today are poor and marginalised, living in small pockets of northern Tamil Nadu.
Are Marwari and Jain same?
‘Marwari’ is an umbrella term to classify both Hindus and Jains. But the history of migration of this trading community from Rajasthan is dated back to the end of the 17th century and Marwaris served as bankers and financiers to the Mughals.
Who is the God of Jainism?
Jains do not believe in a God or gods in the way that many other religions do, but they do believe in divine (or at least perfect) beings who are worthy of devotion.
Are there Jains in Kerala?
Jainism, one of the three most ancient Indian religious traditions still in existence, has very small presence (0.01%) in Kerala, in south India. According to the 2011 India Census, Kerala only has around 4500 Jains, most of them in the city of Cochin and in Wayanad district.
Who destroyed Jainism?
Muslims also destroyed many Jain holy sites during their rule in western India. They exerted serious pressure on the Jain community during 13th and 14th century.
Why did Jains settle in shravanabelagola in Tamil?
The inscription on the rocks of Chandragiri, dating back to the Ganga dynasty of Mysuru, mentions that Bhadrabahu, Jain ascetic, migrated to the South from Ujjain in the fifth century BC along with 12,000 followers and settled in Shravanabelagola, due to famine that was sweeping north India of that time.
Which is oldest religion of Tamil Nadu?
Hinduism in Tamil Nadu finds its earliest literary mention in the Sangam literature dated to the 5th century BCE. The total number of Tamil Hindus as per 2011 Indian census is 63,188,168 which forms 87.58% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. Hinduism is the largest religion in Tamil Nadu.
Which language do Jains speak?
From the 12th century, various regional languages emerged in North India: variants of Gujarati and Hindi, the two languages predominantly used by the Jains, were also resorted to by new commentators. Today modern forms of these languages are used by Jain religious teachers both in their writings and preaching.
Are there Jains in Pakistan?
The original home region of the Bhabras is now in Pakistan. Sialkot: All the Jains here were Bhabra and mainly lived in Sialkot and Pasrur. The Serai Bhabrian and Bhabrian Wala localities are named after them. There were several Jain temples here before partition of India.
Who are the Jains in Tamil Nadu?
The Tamil Jains are ancient natives of Tamil Nadu and belong to the Digambara sect. They generally use the title Nainar. A few in Thanjavur District, use Mudaliar and Chettiar as titles.
What is the history of Jainism in India?
Jainism reached Tamil Nadu in around 300 BC and flourished here, with indigenous Tamils followers. The Tamil Jains shaped the religion, politics, culture and society of the Tamil region, with three of the five major Tamil epics ( Silapaddikaram, Civaka Cintamani, and Valayapathi) written by Jain authors.
What are the characteristics of Tamil Jainism?
Cuisine: Tamil Jains are ardent vegetarians. Until the turn of the 20th century, they were a self-sustained rural based farming community. They were landowners and used contract labourers for their agricultural activities. Their household included large tracts of land, cattle, and milch cows.
What is Mel sithamur Jain Math?
Mel Sithamur Jain Math, the residence of Laxmisena. Tamil Jains ( Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit samaṇa “wandering renunciate”) are Tamils from Tamil Nadu, India, who practice Digambara Jainism (Tamil Samaṇam ).
