Question map
Which one of the following statements about the Shvetambara Sect of Jainism is not correct?
Explanation
The Shvetambara sect of Jainism is characterized by monks who wear white clothes. They recognize the 12 Angas as part of their canonical texts, which were compiled and preserved through various councils like the one at Valabhi. Unlike the Digambara sect, Shvetambaras believe that women are capable of attaining salvation (moksha) and maintain that the 19th Tirthankara, Mallinatha, was a woman. The statement in Option 2 is incorrect because it was the Digambara sect, led by Bhadrabahu, that migrated to South India (specifically Shravanabelagola) during a 12-year famine in Magadha around the 4th century BCE. The Shvetambaras, led by Sthulabhadra, remained in the North, primarily in the Magadha region, and did not participate in the southern migration.
Sources
- [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects > Life of Mahavira > p. 39