Timeline of Jainism
Encyclopedia
Prehistory
Jainism is one of the oldest religions of The World. Jain theology states that Jainism has existed since eternity and it has no beginning and no end.- ca. 9th century BC: ParshvaParshvaPārśva or Paras was the twenty-third Tirthankara "Ford-Maker" in Jainism . He is the earliest Jain leader generally accepted as a historical figure. Pārśva was a nobleman belonging to the Kshatriya varna....
, 23rd TirthankarTirthankarIn Jainism, a ' |ford]]-Maker", ) is a human being who achieves moksa through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model and teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance....
of Jain tradition, and at the same time the earliest figure of Jainism considered historically datable. - ca. 6th century BC: MahaviraMahaviraMahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
, 24th and last TirthankarTirthankarIn Jainism, a ' |ford]]-Maker", ) is a human being who achieves moksa through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model and teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance....
of this era. - 5th century BC: Siddhasen DiwakarSiddhasen DiwakarSiddhasen Diwakar was a highly intelligent Jain acharya of his time. Siddhasen could study the scriptures and realize their truth in a short time. In due course he became the best known Jain scholar of the time. He was like the illuminating lamp of the Jain order and therefore came to be known...
- d. 507 BC: Ganahar Sudharma Swami
- d. 357 BC: Acharya BhadrabahuAcharya BhadrabahuAcharya Bhadrabahu was a Jain monk. He is more famously known as a spiritual teacher of Chandragupta Maurya and author of several texts related to Jainism, including some of the most important works, Upsargahara Stotra and Kalpasutra....
- 2nd century BC: Navakar MantraNavakar MantraThe Ṇamōkāra mantra , also called the Navakār Mantra or the Namaskār Mantra, is the most important mantra used in Jainism. While reciting this mantra, the devotee bows with respect to humans who have cleared their gathi karmas , fully liberated souls , spiritual leaders , teachers and monks.In...
epigraphically attested in MaharashtraJains of MaharashtraJainism has been present in Maharashtra since ancient times. The famous Ellora Caves demonstrate that Jainism was part of a thriving religious culture in Maharashtra in premodern times.-History:... - 5th century AD: first mention of the Mula SanghMula SanghMula Sangh is an ancient Jain monastic order . Mula literally means the "root" or the original order.Mula-Sangh has been the main Digambar Jain order. Today the Digambar Jain tradition is synonymous with Mula Sangha. The great Acharya Kundakunda is associated with Mula Sangh...
order.
Middle Ages
- 9th century
- Life of NemichandraNemichandraNemichandra Siddhanta Chakravarty , was the celebrated author of Dravyasamgraha, Gomattasara , Triloksara, Labdhisara and Kshapanasara. He was among the most distinguished of the Jain Acharyas....
, a famous Jain author. - The TirumalaiTirumalai (Jain complex)Tirumalai is a Jain temple and cave complex dating from at least the 9th century that is located northwest of Polur in Tamil Nadu, southeast India...
complex in Tamil NaduTamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
is established.
- Life of Nemichandra
- 10th century: SvetambaraSvetambaraThe Śvētāmbara is one of the two main sects of Jainism, the other being the Digambar. Śvētāmbara "white-clad" is a term describing its ascetics' practice of wearing white clothes, which sets it apart from the Digambara "sky-clad" Jainas, whose ascetic practitioners go naked...
- 1172: Acharya HemachandraAcharya HemachandraAcharya Hemachandra was a Jain scholar, poet, and polymath who wrote on grammar, philosophy, prosody, and contemporary history. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gained the title Kalikāl Sarvagya "all-knowing of the Kali Yuga"....
- 12th century: Kashtha SanghKashtha SanghKashtha Sangha was a Digambar Jain monastic order once dominant in several regions of North and Western India. It is considered to be a branch of Mula Sangh itself...
- 1194: TristutikTristutikTristutik was an origin of Tapa Gaccha of the Svetambara sect of Jainism.It was established in 1194 AD It was known as Agama Gaccha in ancient times.The Tristutik Gaccha was reformed by Acharya Rajendrasuri....
- 1229: Tapa GachchhaTapa GachchhaTapa Gachchha is the largest monstic order of Svetambara Jainism.It was founded by Acharya Jagat Chandra Suri in Vikram Samvat 1285 . He was given the title of "Tapa" by the ruler of Mewar....
- 1476: Lonka Shaha schism
- 1664: Digambar TerapanthDigambar TerapanthThe Adhyatma movement among the Jains arose in 1626 AD in Agra. Its leading proponent was Banarasidas of Agra. Adhyatma groups flourished during 1644-1726 in Agra, Lahore and Multan. While the movement was based on the books written by Acharya Kundakunda, most of its followers were of Shwetambar...
- 1658: Digambara Jain Lal Mandir temple in DelhiJainism in DelhiDelhi is an ancient center of Jainism, home to over 165 Jain temples. Delhi has a large population of Jains spread all over the city. It has had continued presenece of a Jain community throughout its history, and it is still a major Jain center....
built. - 1760: Swetembar TerapanthSwetembar TerapanthTerapanth is a reformist religious sect under Svetambara Jainism. The terapanthi sub-sect was founded by Acharya Bhikshu, also known as Swami Bhikanji Maharaj. Swami Bhikanji was formerly a Sthanakvasi saint and had initiation by Acharya Raghunatha. But he had differences with his Guru on several...
- 1780: SthanakvasiSthanakvasiSthānakavāsī is a sect of Jainism founded by a merchant named Lavaji about 1653 CE that believes that God is nirakar "without form", and hence do not pray to any statue...
and Terapanthi orders
British India
- 1868: Jain temple in MumbaiJainism in MumbaiMumbai has one the largest populations of Jains among all the cities in India.Mumbai has numerous Jain temples. One of the best known is the Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji Jain Temple, Walkeshwar ....
- 1880s: reform movement of Acharya RajendrasuriAcharya RajendrasuriAcharya Rajendrasuri was the major Svetambara Jain reformer of the 18th and 19th centuries. He was born on 3 December 1826 at Bharatpur, Rajasthan. In 1880, as the leader of the Tapa Gaccha, he led a movement to restore the orders of wandering monks, leading to near extinction of the Yati...
- 1893: Virachand GandhiVirachand GandhiVirachand Raghavji Gandhi from Mahuva represented Jains at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 and won a silver medal. Gandhi was most likely the first Jain & First Gujarati to travel to the United States and his statue still stands at the Jain temple in Chicago...
participates in Chicago's World Parliament of Religions& Won Silver Medal. - 1904: Jain temple at the Louisiana Purchase ExpositionLouisiana Purchase ExpositionThe Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
- 1927: Madras High Court in Gateppa v. Eramma and others recognizes "Jainism as a distinct religion"
Post-Partition
- 1970s: significant presence of Jainism in the United StatesJainism in the United StatesAdherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. The most significant time of Jain immigration was in the early 1970s. The United States has since become a center of the Jain Diaspora.-History:...
- 1975: Monolithic statue of BahubaliBahubaliAccording to Jainism, Bahubali, called Gomateshwara , was the second of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, Rishabha, and king of Podanpur. The Adipurana, a 10th century Kannada text by Jain poet Adikavi Pampa According to Jainism, Bahubali, called Gomateshwara , was the second of the...
is installed at DharmasthalaDharmasthalaDharmasthala is a temple village on the banks of the Nethravathi River in the Belthangadi taluk of the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka....
, KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India under the auspices of D. Rathnavarma Heggade and Mathrushree D. Rathnamma Heggade, members of Dharmasthala's Jaina lineage who also manage the local Shivaite temple. Carving work began in 1966 under the sculptor Rejala Gopalkrishna Shenoy of KarkalaKarkalaKarkala is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 380 km from Bangalore, it lies near the Western Ghats....
. - 1976: In Arya Samaj Education Trust, Delhi & Others v. The Director of Education, Delhi Administration, Delhi & Others (AIR 1976 Delhi 207), the Court referred to Heinrich ZimmerHeinrich ZimmerHeinrich Robert Zimmer was an Indologist and historian of South Asian art, most known for his works, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization and Philosophies of India. He was the most important German scholar in Indian Philology after Max Müller...
's Philosophies of India describing Jainism as "a heterodox Indian religion" and J. N. Farquhar's Modern Religious Movements in India describing Jainism as "a rival of Hinduism." - 1981: First Jain convention in Los Angeles
- 1983: Formal organization of JAINA (Jain Associations in North America)
- 1990: Temple Pratishtha, The Jain Sangh Cherry Hill, New Jersey
- 1990: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington
- 1991: Founding of Siddhachalam, the Jain tirtha
- 1993: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago
- 1995: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Center of Cincinnati and Dayton
- 1998: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Society of Greater Detroit
- 2000: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Center of Northern California (JCNC)
- 2000: Jain Vishwa Bharati Orlando
- 2005: the Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of IndiaThe Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
declined to grant Jains the status of a religious minority throughout India, leaving it to the respective states to decide on the minority status of Jainis. - 2006: the Supreme Court opined that "Jain Religion is indisputably not a part of the Hindu Religion." (Para 25, Committee of Management Kanya Junior High School Bal Vidya Mandir, Etah, U.P. v. Sachiv, U.P. Basic Shiksha Parishad, Allahabad, U.P. and Ors., Per Dalveer Bhandari J., Civil Appeal No. 9595 of 2003, decided On: 21.08.2006, Supreme Court of India.)
- 2008: DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
city government declares Jain community as a minority as per the Supreme Court Orders.
See also
- Jain philosophyJain philosophyJain philosophy deals extensively with the problems of metaphysics, reality, cosmology, ontology, epistemology and divinity. Jainism is essentially a transtheistic religion of ancient India. It is a continuation of the ancient tradition which co-existed with the Vedic tradition since ancient...
- JainismJainismJainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
- TirthankarTirthankarIn Jainism, a ' |ford]]-Maker", ) is a human being who achieves moksa through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model and teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance....
- ShramanaShramanaA shramana is a wandering monk in certain ascetic traditions of ancient India including Jainism, Buddhism, and Ājīvikism. Famous śramaṇas include Mahavira and Gautama Buddha....
- Buddhism and Jainism
- Timeline of BuddhismTimeline of BuddhismThe purpose of this timeline is to give a detailed account of Buddhism from the birth of Gautama Buddha to the present.-Foundation to the Common Era:...