Timeline of Jainism

Timeline of Jainism

Prehistory

Jainism is one of the oldest religions of India. We do not know exactly when it was founded. The Jains themselves say that Jainism has existed since eternity and it had like the Jain universe no beginning and would have no end. Most of the saints ofJainism belonged to remote ages, millions of years ago. [Roy, Ashim Kumar. "A history of the Jains", New Delhi, Gitanjali Publishing House, 1984]

*ca. 9th century BC: Parshva, 23rd Tirthankar of Jain tradition, and at the same time the earliest figure of Jainism considered historically datable.
*ca. 6th century BC: Mahavira, 24th and last Tirthankar.
*5th century BC: Siddhasen Diwakar
*d. 507 BC: Ganahar Sudharma Swami
*d. 357 BC: Acharya Bhadrabahu
*2nd century BC: Navakar Mantra epigraphically attested in Maharashtra
*5th century AD: first mention of the Mula Sangh order.

Middle Ages

*9th century: Nemichandra
*10th century: Svetambara
*d. 1172: Acharya Hemachandra
*12th century: Kashtha Sangh
*1194: Tristutik
*1229: Tapa Gachchha
*1476: Lonka Shaha schism
*1664: Digambar Terapanth
* 1658: Digambara Jain Lal Mandir temple in Delhi built.
* 1760: Swetembar Terapanth
* 1780: Sthanakvasi and Terapanthi orders

British India

* 1868 Jain temple in Mumbai
* 1880s: reform movement of Acharya Rajendrasuri
* 1893 - Virachand Gandhi participates in Chicago's World Parliament of Religions& Won Silver Medal.
* 1904: Jain temple at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
*1927: Madras High Court in Gateppa v. Eramma and others recognizes "Jainism as a distinct religion"

Post-Partition

* 1970s: significant presence of Jainism in the United States
* 1976: In Arya Samaj Education Trust, Delhi & Others v. The Director of Education, Delhi Administration, Delhi & Others (AIR 1976 Delhi 207), the Court referred to Heinrich Zimmer's "Philosophies of India" describing Jainism as "a heterodox Indian religion". and J. N. Farquhar's "Modern Religious Movements in India" describing Jainism as "a rival of Hinduism".
* 1981: First Jain convention in Los Angeles
* 1983: Formal organization of JAINA (Jain Associations in North America)
* 1990: Temple Pratishtha, The Jain Sangh Cherry Hill, New Jersey
* 1990: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington
* 1991: Founding of Siddhachalam, the Jain tirtha
* 1993: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago
* 1995: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Center of Cincinnati and Dayton
* 1998: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Society of Greater Detroit
* 2000: Temple Pratishtha, Jain Center of Northern California (JCNC)
* 2000: Jain Vishwa Bharati Orlando
* 2005: the Supreme Court of India declined to grant Jains the status of a religious minority throughout India, leaving it to the respective states to decide on the minority status of Jainis.
* 2006: the Supreme Court opined that "Jain Religion is indisputably not a part of the Hindu Religion." ("Para 25, Committee of Management Kanya Junior High School Bal Vidya Mandir, Etah, U.P. v. Sachiv, U.P. Basic Shiksha Parishad, Allahabad, U.P. and Ors., Per Dalveer Bhandari J., Civil Appeal No. 9595 of 2003, decided On: 21.08.2006, Supreme Court of India.")

ee also

*Tirthankar
*Shramana
*Buddhism and Jainism
*Timeline of Buddhism
*History of Vag

References