Could not think of a suitable title. But hopefully the items below will help explain what I am trying to get back from you.
So we have :
1) Kutchi Visha vs Kutchi Dasha
2) Shwetambar vs Digambar
3) Vagad vs Abhadaso vs Kanthi
4) Deravasi vs Sthanakvasi
5) Within Deravasi, we have Acchalgach and Tapogach and Parshvachandragach.
I am a Kutchi Visha Shwetambar Abhadaso Deravasi Acchalgach person. 🙂
I know the basics of the above terms but not in good depth. Would like to hear more about what others have to say and their point of view or definitions of the above terms.
This is a discussion. So feel free to expand on any of the terms.
Hopefully In the process we can all gain knowledge about the different Kutchi and Jain sects. Please add any more differences that I missed out.
My knowledge in these matters would be minimalist as compared to most of you. 🙂 But here is what I know:
1) Our Samaj KVO is Kutchi Visha Oswal. I dont think I know anyone from Dasha. What is the difference?
2) Shwetambar means white. Our maharaj wear white clothes. Digambar maharaj dont wear clothes or maybe minimal clothes.
3) About differences between Acchalgach and Tapogach and Parshvachandragach, I am totally clueless.
3) Vagad vs Abhadaso vs Kanthi – Is more of geographical distribution naming like here we have south bay, north bay, east bay.
1,2,4,5) All these are based on mainly , differences in belief in jainisum & culture.
There is one more Paay-Gach also (Not sure whether it is same a Pashvachandragach or not)
Deravasi vs Stanakvasi vs Terapanthi vs Bisapanthi
Within StanakWasi – 6 koti and 8 koti
Within 6-koti/8-koti – Nana-par and Moti-par
Sneha…
I would rather not want to know any differences and just follow principles of Jainism as a whole. For me all this is more of a ego clash and each person whoever created these sects his/her way of making a mark for themselves..
If you think of it there is so much of Sthnankwasis dont want to marry Deravasis…Deravasis feel that if Sthannakvasi girl comes in the family she will pull entire family into her beliefs….maybe this sounds starnge for us here but happens back home…and I feel this is one of the reasons why Jainism didnt spread as much as Buddhisim did…we are fighting among ourselves…
This is just my opinion
Hopefully the differences are going away with each new generation and our generation will be more lenient in these matters.
Also on second thoughts, I think it would be better to refrain from categorizing other families. (Families can categorize themselves if they want just like I have).
Lets just discuss general differences.
There is a phrase used in kutch “Bawwan-betali” meaning 52-42 meaning there are 52 villages comprised of kanthi
and 42 villages comprised of Abdasa…
There is Paaychangach(may be it is paay-gach or Parshvachandragach) and khadtargach
Kuthci’s are part of Acchalgach sangh and maybe the other 2 sangh’s as well
Gujurati, marwari’s are part of Tapogach
At some places they also call “Shwetambar murtipujak”
Shwetambar’s worship Idol
Thought Digambar’s idol is without eyes
Sthanakwasi don’t beleive in idol worship
Terapanthi, bispanthi, kanji panth, taran panth are based on the followers people follow.
There are followers of Shrimad Rajchandra and also people who follow simandhar swami.
So overall Jains a minority community but so many different paths one can follow !!!
In vagad we have only Tapgach and Sthanakwasi.
And in Vagad we have Nandhi vagad and Vaddi Vagad and lot of people from Vaddi vagad are sthanakwasi.
And as Sneha mentioned there are some families who don’t marry to sthankwasi.
As mentioned before there are “Dasa” , “Visa”, But there are also “Panja” but not a big community. I think Visa is the biggest community then dasa and then panja.
From dasa-visa, I remember one phrase we use in kutchi back home–
If say we don’t have all the “Cup-saucer” matching or if all the glasses in the house are not of the same size and shape, we say “they are dasa visa”. 🙂 (meaning there is mis-match)
It is just a phrase I have heard. (purpose is not to make any community big or small)
1 Kutchi Visa vs Kutchi Dasa
I think roughly Visa guys in the olden days refused widows remarrige and the widows had to live their life wearing white, no jewels etc. etc. etc.
Dasa’s allowed after a period of time widows to wear light colored sarees, maybe some itsy bitsy jewellry. this was objected to by the visa’s and the dasa’s were excomunicated and they turned to be called dasa’s. There is another one too, they are called panja’s. These guys allowed widow remarrige too and therefore the dasa’s excomunicated them and they became panja’s. As far as I know this is the guiding principle. In other words Visa’s are the high caste guys, dasa’s middle caste and panja’s low caste mainly due to the treatment of widows. Even today in mordern India, the modern city of Mumbai, I understand that the Vado Varghodo is first started by the visa’s and the dasa’s have to wait till they can start theirs, the panja’s dont have a seperate one so they follow the dasa’s varghoda.
2.Shewetamber / Digamber :
The temple Idols of these 2 sects differ. A lot of customs and traditions differ. Most of the south Indian and North Indian jains are digambers. Shewetamber Jains are more among Gujju/marwari communities. Digamber monks are stark naked. Digamber monks dont even use vessels and when they come for Dharmalabh, the shravak directly gives the food into the monk’s bare hand, weather it is water or chappati or whatever. The monk is forbidden from questioning the nature of the food and he has to gulp it down silently.
3 Vagad vs Abhadaso vs Kanthi
NO IDEA
4 Deravasi vs Sthanakvasi
Again the deravasi guys have idols while the sthanaks have no idols whatsoever.
5 Acchalgach and Tapogach and Parshvachandragach
I dont know much about Parshvachandragach, but achalgach and tapogach mainly differ on the dates. For example for Panjosan, both the gach’s have different dates, which actually differ only by a day. Sometimes both have it on the same day too. However whenever it differs the achalgach guys have it one day later than the tapogach. The folklore is, prior to this split, all the dates were anchalgach dates, however a very powerful king during the ancient times, wanted his son to die during panjosan so he asked monks within his kingdom to declare panjosan a day earlier and as he was very powerful, this was agreed to and a lot of people accepted the new dates, these guys thereafter kept on following the new dates and became tapogach, while the die hard traditionalists continued to follow the old dates and are the anchalgach.
By the way – I am anchalgach and I am a Kutchi Dasa from Suthri. Jai Bhagwan Dhrootkalol Parashnath.
shahsameer94@gmail.com
Very good information Sameer. Where are you residing currently?