Volume : 2, Issue : 2, February - 2013

Jains and Caste System: Conceptual and Comparative Perspective

Miss Hemali Sanghavi

Abstract :

The presence of Caste System in the Jain community has often been seen as a problem by the observers and scholars. Jain religion as such does not recognise the castes in the community. It was at later stage that the Jains adopted this feature. Variety of factors can be related to the formation of the caste system among the Jains. In many respects the caste system among the Jains shared similarities with those of the Hindus. Yet by twentieth century certain unique and typical ‘Jain’ features emerged in the Jain castes. The paper will discuss this dynamics of the caste system of the Jains.