An Outline of Jain History
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| Events in Jain history | Other events in India and overseas |
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Time: To 8th cent BCE
Political events: Increasing complexity of human society
The Mahabharata war
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The first 22 Tirthankaras: |Vedic Samhitas
Rishabha to Nemi |Moses
Bharata Chakravarti |
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Time: 8th cent. BCE to 3rd cent. BCE
Political events: The 16 Maha-janpadas, Magadh empire, Alexendar's
invasion (327-298BCE), Chandragupta Maurya(322-298BCE)
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Parshwa, 23rd Jina |Upanishads
Mahavira (599-527BCE)teachings |Panini's Sanskrit Grammar
Origin of Paryushana and Diwali |Mahabharata,
|Ramayana in
The Kevalis (64 years) | early form
The Shruta-kevalis (106 years) |---------------------------------------
|Zarthustra(630-553), Pythagoros(581-497),
|Buddha (563-483), Socrates(470-399)
|Confucius(551-478)
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Time: 3rd. cent. BCE-5 cent. CE (about 800 years)
Political events: Mauryas, Shungas, Shaka, Kushana, Guptas
Huna destruction (450-500 CE) in North India
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Orders emerge: Kottiya, Mula-Sangha |Edicts of King Ashoka
Acharyas: |Manu-smriti, Early Puranas
Kundakunda (2nd c. CE) |Mahabharata, Ramayana
Umaswati (3rd c.) | in final form
Manatunga (3rd c.) |Kalidas (5/6th. c.)
Samantabhadra (3/4th c.) |Decimal number system invented
Siddhasena (5th c.) |---------------------------------------
Popularity of Jain images in Mathura |Jesus
Valabhi council 453 CE Agamas |Marcus Aurelius (161-180)
Sanskrit gradually replaces |Buddhism in Srilanka, China
Prakrit |
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Time: 5th to 13th cent.
Political events: Rajputs emerge, Turkish destruction, Slave dynasty
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Acharyas: |Later Puranas
Haribhadra (6th c.) |Shankaracharya (788-820)
Akalanka (7th c.) |Ramanuja (1050-1137)
Virasena (8-9th c.) |Buddhism declines in India
Nemichandra S.(10th c.) |Widespread destruction in India
Hemachandra (13th c.) |---------------------------------------
Orders emerge: |Muhammad (-632)
Kashtha-sangha (9th cent) |Islamic conquest of Iran (641)
Vrahada-gachchha (937) |Buddhism in Japan, Tibet
Kharatara-gachchha (1024) |
Tapa-gachchha(1228) |
Modern Jain communities emerge |
Mahahaviracharya, Mathematician |
Nagara temple style emerges |
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Time: 13th cent to 1526.
Political events: Sultans, Bahmanis
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Bhattarakas emerge (13th c.) |Sayana Vedic comment. (1300-1386)
Orders: |Ramananda (14th c)
Lonka (15th c.) |Kabir (1444-1518)
Taran (15th c.) |Chaitanya (1485-)
Massive pratishtha by |Nanak (1469-1538)
Papriwal (1491) |Vallabhacharya (1479-)
Continued evolution of Jain |Buddhism virtually extinguished
communities | in India
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|Martin Luther (Protest. 1517)
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Time: 1526-1818
Political events: Mughals, Marathas
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Hiravijaya (1553-1595) |Tulsi Das (1532-1623)
Yashovijaya (18th c.) |
Orders: |
Terapantha: Banarasi (1623) |
Terapanth: Bikshu (1759) |
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Time: 1818-current
Political events: British, independence of India, UN founded
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Rajchandra (19th c.) |Vivekananda
Shantisagar (1873-1955) |Tagore
Kanji-swami (Org. 1937) |Gandhi
Growth of orders |---------------------------------------
Tulsi & Mahaprajna |
Sushil Kumar |
Overseas Jain settlements |Buddhism, ISCON in the west
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