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Upkeśa Gaccha is the oldest gaccha (monastic order) of Śvetāmbara Jainism. It is one of the 84 gacchas of the Śvetāmbara sect that were once in existence. Unlike most other gacchas that follow Mahavira's lineage and begin with his disciple Sudharmaswami, it follows the lineage of the 23rd Tirthankara Parshvanatha and is said to have begun with his prime disciple Ganadhara Shubhadatta. It went extinct in about 1930 CE. [1] [2]
According to Śvetāmbara scriptures, lineage-wise, Upkeśa Gaccha is the oldest of all the 84 gacchas to ever exist. It is said to be of Parshvanatha's lineage. Historically, Parshvanatha's śāsana-kāl ( transl. time between Mahavira and Parshvanath, when Parshvanatha's teachings are followed and applied by Jains) was 250 years, which is the smallest difference between two Tirthankaras in this Avasarpiṇī. As a result, ascetics of Parshvanatha's unbroken lineage were around when Mahavira was born. [1]
As per Kalpa Sūtra, an important canonical scripture of the Śvetāmbaras, Mahavira's parents were Śrāvakas (lay-followers) of Parshvanatha's ascetics. [3] Deepvijay Kaviraaj's Mahavir Swami nu Halardu, a musical lullaby composed in the late 18th or early 19th century, describes Trishala singing it for Mahavira. It also describes Keśiśramanācharya, the then head of Parshvanatha's monastic order, informing Trishala that her child will be the 24th Tirthankara after she described the 14 auspicious dreams. [4]
According to the 6th century BC Jain text Uttaradhyayana Sutra, Keśiśramanācharya was around during most of Mahavira's life-span and is said to have met Gautama Swami, Mahavira's prime disciple. The text says that he met Gautama Swami to clarify his doubts about the differences in the teachings of both the Tirthankaras. Parshvanatha's ascetics wore colored clothes (usually dark-brown). Upon receiving satisfactory responses from him, Keśiśramanācharya merged his monastic order with Mahavira's congregation and all his monks became Śvetāmbara (white-clad) monks. Even though they merged into Mahavira's congregation, Upkeśa Gaccha always maintained its unique identity of tracing its monastic lineage to Parshvanatha. [5]
In 457 BC, 70 years after Mahavira attained nirvana, Ratnaprabhasuri, the then head of this monastic lineage won debate against Brahmins who advocated animal sacrifice in the name of religion at Upkeśapattan. As a result of that, his lineage came to be known as the Upkeśa Gaccha. [2] [6]
History of the Upkeśa Gaccha enables a deeper understanding of the antiquity of the Śvetāmbara sect and of the religious history of Western India and Central India. [1]
Several names of monks in the monastic lineage are repeated every few generations. According to the English translation of Vijayanandsuri's Ajnāna-timira-bhāskara by indologist and professor A. F. Rudolph Hoernle, [1] the monastic lineage of the heads of this gaccha is found to be as follows: -
Part of a series on |
Jainism |
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![]() |
Upkeśa Gaccha is the oldest gaccha (monastic order) of Śvetāmbara Jainism. It is one of the 84 gacchas of the Śvetāmbara sect that were once in existence. Unlike most other gacchas that follow Mahavira's lineage and begin with his disciple Sudharmaswami, it follows the lineage of the 23rd Tirthankara Parshvanatha and is said to have begun with his prime disciple Ganadhara Shubhadatta. It went extinct in about 1930 CE. [1] [2]
According to Śvetāmbara scriptures, lineage-wise, Upkeśa Gaccha is the oldest of all the 84 gacchas to ever exist. It is said to be of Parshvanatha's lineage. Historically, Parshvanatha's śāsana-kāl ( transl. time between Mahavira and Parshvanath, when Parshvanatha's teachings are followed and applied by Jains) was 250 years, which is the smallest difference between two Tirthankaras in this Avasarpiṇī. As a result, ascetics of Parshvanatha's unbroken lineage were around when Mahavira was born. [1]
As per Kalpa Sūtra, an important canonical scripture of the Śvetāmbaras, Mahavira's parents were Śrāvakas (lay-followers) of Parshvanatha's ascetics. [3] Deepvijay Kaviraaj's Mahavir Swami nu Halardu, a musical lullaby composed in the late 18th or early 19th century, describes Trishala singing it for Mahavira. It also describes Keśiśramanācharya, the then head of Parshvanatha's monastic order, informing Trishala that her child will be the 24th Tirthankara after she described the 14 auspicious dreams. [4]
According to the 6th century BC Jain text Uttaradhyayana Sutra, Keśiśramanācharya was around during most of Mahavira's life-span and is said to have met Gautama Swami, Mahavira's prime disciple. The text says that he met Gautama Swami to clarify his doubts about the differences in the teachings of both the Tirthankaras. Parshvanatha's ascetics wore colored clothes (usually dark-brown). Upon receiving satisfactory responses from him, Keśiśramanācharya merged his monastic order with Mahavira's congregation and all his monks became Śvetāmbara (white-clad) monks. Even though they merged into Mahavira's congregation, Upkeśa Gaccha always maintained its unique identity of tracing its monastic lineage to Parshvanatha. [5]
In 457 BC, 70 years after Mahavira attained nirvana, Ratnaprabhasuri, the then head of this monastic lineage won debate against Brahmins who advocated animal sacrifice in the name of religion at Upkeśapattan. As a result of that, his lineage came to be known as the Upkeśa Gaccha. [2] [6]
History of the Upkeśa Gaccha enables a deeper understanding of the antiquity of the Śvetāmbara sect and of the religious history of Western India and Central India. [1]
Several names of monks in the monastic lineage are repeated every few generations. According to the English translation of Vijayanandsuri's Ajnāna-timira-bhāskara by indologist and professor A. F. Rudolph Hoernle, [1] the monastic lineage of the heads of this gaccha is found to be as follows: -