page_title: Religion in Tamil Nadu
section_title: Jainism
hierarchical_section_title: Religion in Tamil Nadu / Jainism
caption_attribution_description: Jain Temple - Tirumalai,Thiruvannamalai This is a photo of ASI monument number&#160; N-TN-C204. This image was uploaded as part of Wiki Loves Monuments 2012. Afrikaans&#160;| Alemannisch&#160;| العربية&#160;| جازايرية&#160;| azərbaycanca&#160;| Bikol Central&#160;| беларуская&#160;| беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎&#160;| български&#160;| বাংলা&#160;| brezhoneg&#160;| català&#160;| čeština&#160;| Cymraeg&#160;| dansk&#160;| Deutsch&#160;| Zazaki&#160;| Ελληνικά&#160;| English&#160;| Esperanto&#160;| español&#160;| eesti&#160;| euskara&#160;| فارسی&#160;| suomi&#160;| français&#160;| Frysk&#160;| Gaeilge&#160;| galego&#160;| עברית&#160;| हिन्दी&#160;| hrvatski&#160;| magyar&#160;| հայերեն&#160;| Bahasa Indonesia&#160;| Ido&#160;| italiano&#160;| 日本語&#160;| ქართული&#160;| 한국어&#160;| Кыргызча&#160;| Lëtzebuergesch&#160;| latviešu&#160;| Malagasy&#160;| македонски&#160;| മലയാളം&#160;| Bahasa Melayu&#160;| Malti&#160;| norsk bokmål&#160;| नेपाली&#160;| Nederlands&#160;| norsk nynorsk&#160;| norsk&#160;| polski&#160;| português&#160;| português do Brasil&#160;| română&#160;| русский&#160;| sicilianu&#160;| davvisámegiella&#160;| slovenčina&#160;| slovenščina&#160;| shqip&#160;| српски / srpski&#160;| svenska&#160;| ไทย&#160;| Tagalog&#160;| Türkçe&#160;| українська&#160;| اردو&#160;| 中文&#160;| 中文（中国大陆）‎&#160;| 中文（简体）‎&#160;| 中文（繁體）‎&#160;| 中文（香港）‎&#160;| 中文（台灣）‎&#160;| +/− Shrine at the foot of the hill
context_page_description: In the state of Tamil Nadu the most widely professed religion is Hinduism, with significant Christian and Muslim communities. Tamil Nadu has centers of worship for a multitude of faiths. According to 2011 Census of India figures, 87.58% of Tamil Nadu's population are Hindus, 6.12% are Christians, 5.86% are Muslims, 0.12% are Jains, 0.02% are Buddhists and 0.02% are Sikhs.
context_section_description: The total number of Jains in Tamil Nadu as per 2011 Indian census is 89,265 which forms 0.12% of the total population of Tamil Nadu, including both Tamil Jains and Jains originating from North India that settled in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Jains are predominantly scattered in northern Tamil Nadu, largely in the districts of Kanchipuram, Madurai, Vellore, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, Viluppuram and Tiruvannamalai.
  Some scholars believe that Jain philosophy entered South India in the sixth century BCE.The Tamil Jains are ancient natives of Tamil Nadu and belong to the Digambara sect. They generally use the title Nainar. The former North Arcot and South Arcot (now  Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Cuddalore and Villupuram Districts) districts have a large number of Jain temples, as well as a significant Jain population. Many of them retain some Jain customs such as vegetarianism.
  Camaṇar wrote much Tamil literature, including the important Sangam literature, such as the Silappatikaram, the Manimekalai, the Nālaṭiyār and the Cīvaka Cintāmaṇi. Three of the five great epics of Tamil literature are writtern by Jains.
caption: Mahavir Swami temple, Tirumalai
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