Origins and history
Jain tradition holds that its teachings are eternal, revealed across time by a succession of twenty-four Tirthankaras ("ford-makers," those who have crossed over the cycle of rebirth and show others the way) rather than founded at a single historical moment. Mahavira, the tradition's twenty-fourth and most recent Tirthankara, is generally placed in the 6th or 5th century BCE and is understood within the tradition as a reformer and systematizer of teachings believed to already be ancient by his time, rather than the religion's sole originator.
Over subsequent centuries, Jainism developed a significant scholarly, monastic and lay tradition across the Indian subcontinent, and by roughly the early centuries CE had divided into its two major surviving sects, Digambara and Svetambara, described further below — a division that has shaped Jain monastic practice and textual tradition ever since.
Core beliefs
Jain ethical and philosophical teaching centers on several core principles. Ahimsa, non-violence toward all living beings, is often described as the tradition's most fundamental value, extending to conduct, speech and even thought, and shaping practices such as vegetarianism among most Jains. Anekantavada, a doctrine of "many-sidedness," holds that reality is complex and can be understood from multiple valid perspectives, cautioning against absolutist claims to complete truth. Aparigraha, non-attachment or non-possessiveness, emphasizes limiting material and psychological attachment.
Jain teaching describes the soul (jiva) as trapped in a cycle of rebirth through the accumulation of karma, understood in Jainism as a subtle physical substance that attaches to the soul as a result of actions. Liberation (moksha) is achieved by shedding this karma through a path generally summarized as the Three Jewels: right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
Practices
Jain lay practice generally includes strict vegetarianism, regular temple worship and veneration of the Tirthankaras (understood not as gods to be petitioned but as exemplars whose path is to be followed), periods of fasting, and adherence to vows of non-violence and honesty in daily conduct. Jain monastic life — practiced by a much smaller number of fully renunciate monks and nuns — involves considerably stricter vows, including, in the Digambara tradition, monastic nudity as an expression of complete non-attachment, discussed further below.
Scriptures
Jain scripture is generally referred to as the agamas, a body of canonical texts recording the teachings of Mahavira as preserved by his followers. The Digambara and Svetambara traditions differ on the authenticity and completeness of the surviving agama texts, and each maintains its own scriptural and commentarial tradition as a result.
Major branches: Digambara and Svetambara
Jainism's two major sects differ primarily in monastic practice and doctrine. Digambara ("sky-clad") monks traditionally practice complete nudity as an expression of total non-attachment and hold that women cannot achieve liberation in their present female form; Digambara tradition also holds that the original agama texts have been lost over time. Svetambara ("white-clad") monks and nuns wear simple white robes, hold that women can achieve liberation, and maintain that a substantial portion of the original agama texts has been preserved. Both traditions share Jainism's core ethical and philosophical framework and, in communities such as Nepal's small Jain population, often worship together despite these differences.
Symbols and iconography
A stylized open hand bearing the word "ahimsa" (non-violence) in its palm, adopted in 1975 to mark the 2,500th anniversary of Mahavira's nirvana, has become a widely recognized symbol of the Jain community; the wheel it sometimes encloses represents the cycle of rebirth, and an accompanying phrase, "parasparopagraho jivanam," affirms that all life is bound together by mutual support.
The swastika, as in several other South Asian traditions, is also used in Jainism as a symbol of auspiciousness, here often associated with the four possible states of rebirth (as a heavenly being, human, animal, or hell-being) and the path beyond them. Jain temples typically house images of the Tirthankaras seated in meditation, generally identifiable by the absence of possessions or ornamentation reflecting their attainment of non-attachment.
Ethics and moral life
Jain ethical life for laypeople is commonly organized around twelve vows, including five lesser vows (anuvratas) that soften the absolute versions taken by monks and nuns: ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity, interpreted for laypeople as marital fidelity), and aparigraha (limiting possessions and desires).
Because ahimsa extends to all living beings, most Jains follow a strict vegetarian diet that also avoids root vegetables (to avoid killing the whole plant) and takes care to avoid harming even small insects, and many Jain professions historically avoided occupations, such as farming or butchery, that risked violating this principle.
Festivals
Paryushana (called Das Lakshana Parva in the Digambara tradition), an eight- to ten-day period of fasting, scriptural study and reflection held during the monsoon season, is generally regarded as the most important Jain festival, culminating in a day of mutual forgiveness (Samvatsari, or Kshamavani in the Digambara tradition) on which Jains traditionally ask forgiveness of others for wrongs committed knowingly or unknowingly over the past year.
Mahavir Jayanti celebrates the birth of Mahavira, the tradition's twenty-fourth Tirthankara. Jains also observe Diwali at the same time as Hindus, but for a distinct reason: to commemorate Mahavira's attainment of nirvana.
Jainism in Nepal
Jainism is followed by a small community in Nepal, with roots connected to trading communities of Indian origin who settled in Nepal, and is concentrated primarily in Kathmandu, with smaller numbers in parts of the eastern Terai. A Jain temple in Kathmandu, established by the local Jain community in the late 20th century, serves as the community's center for worship and gathering, and includes members from both the Digambara and Svetambara traditions worshipping together as a single local Jain society.