History
The exact origins of Jainism in Tamil Nadu is unclear. However, Jains flourished in Tamil Nadu at least as early as the Sangam period. Tamil Jain tradition places their origins are much earlier. The Ramayana mentions that Rama paid homage to Jaina monks living in South India on his way to Sri Lanka. Some scholars believe that the author of the oldest extant work of literature in Tamil (3rd century BCE), Tolkāppiyam, was a Jain.
Tirukkural by Valluvar is considered by to be the work by a Jain by scholars like V. Kalyanasundarnar, Vaiyapuri Pillai, Swaminatha Iyer, P.S. Sundaram. It emphatically supports vegetarianism (Chaper 26) and states that giving up animal sacrifice is worth more than thousand offerings in fire( verse (259).
Silappatikaram, first epic in Tamil literature, was written by a Camaṇa, Ilango Adigal. This epic is a major work in Tamil literature, describing the historical events of its time and also of then-prevailing religions, Jainism, Buddhism and Shaivism. The main characters of this work, Kannagi and Kovalan, who have a divine status among Tamils, were Jains.
According to George L. Hart, who holds the endowed Chair in Tamil Studies by University of California, Berkeley, has written that the legend of the Tamil Sangams or "literary assemblies: was based on the Jain sangham at Madurai:
There was a permanent Jaina assembly called a Sangha established about 604 A.D. in Madurai. It seems likely that this assembly was the model upon which tradition fabricated the Sangam legend.
Jainism began to decline around the 8th century CE, with many Tamil kings embracing Hindu religions, especially Shaivism. Still, the Chalukya, Pallava and Pandya dynasties embraced Jainism.
When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became Madras State, comprising present day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, South Canara district Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up along linguistic lines. In 1969, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning Tamil country.
The total number of Tamil Jains as per 2011 Indian census is 83,359, which forms 0.12% of the total population of Tamil Nadu (72,138,958).
| Parameter | Population | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 83,359 | 43,114 | 40,245 |
| Literates Population | 68,587 | 36,752 | 31,835 |
| Workers Population | 26,943 | 23,839 | 3,104 |
| Cultivators Population | 2,216 | 1,675 | 541 |
| Agricultural Workers Population | 768 | 325 | 443 |
| HH Industry Workers Population | 574 | 441 | 133 |
| Other Workers Population | 23,385 | 21,398 | 1,987 |
| Non-Workers Population | 56,416 | 19,275 | 37,141 |
Read more about this topic: Tamil Jain
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