page_title: Digambara
section_title: Sub-sects
hierarchical_section_title: Digambara / Sub-sects
caption_attribution_description: English: Acharya Shri 108 Vidyasagarji Maharaj
context_page_description: Digambara is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being Śvētāmbara. The Sanskrit word Digambara means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing nor wearing any clothes.
  Digambara and Śvētāmbara traditions have had historical differences ranging from their dress code, their temples and iconography, attitude towards female monastics, their legends, and the texts they consider as important.
  Digambara monks cherish the virtue of non-attachment and non-possession of any material goods. Monks carry a community-owned picchi, which is a broom made of fallen peacock feathers for removing and thus saving the life of insects in their path or before they sit.
  The Digambara literature can be traced only to the first millennium CE, with its oldest surviving sacred text being the mid-second century Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama "Scripture in Six Parts" of Dharasena. One of the most important scholar-monks of the Digambara tradition was Kundakunda.
  Digambara Jain communities are currently found mainly in Jain temples of Karnataka, parts of south Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. According to Jeffery D.
context_section_description: Jain Sangh
  Digambara
  Mula Sangh
  Great Schools
  Nandi Gana
  Balatkara Gana
  Desiya Gana
  Sena Gana
  Simha Gana
  Deva Gana
  Other Mula Sangh branches (extinct)
  Kashtha Sangh (exists)
  Present Sects
  Taran Panth
  Bispanthi
  Digambar Terapanth
  Other
  Kanji Swami Panth established by ex-Sthanakvasi monk.
  Gumanpanth
  Totapanth
  Modern Digambara community is divided into various sub-sects viz. Terapanthi, Bispanthi, Taranpanthi (or Samayiapanthi), Gumanapanthi and Totapanthi. Both the terapanthis and bisapanthis worship with ashta-dravya which includes jal (water), chandan (sandal), akshata (sacred rice), pushp (yellow rice), deep (yellow dry coconut), dhup (kapoor or cloves) and phal (almonds).  Bisapanthi religious practices include aarti and offerings of flowers, fruits and prasad whereas terapanthis don't use them. Bispanthis worship minor gods and goddesses like Yaksha and Yakshini like Bhairava and Kshetrapala whereas terapanthis do not. Bisapanthis accept bhattarakas as their religious leaders but terapanthis do not. Terapanthis occur in large numbers in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Bidapanthis are concentrated in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharastra and South India.
caption: Acharya Vidyasagar, a prominent Digambara monk
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