Gaccha
Gaccha is a group of monks and lay followers of image worshipping (Murtipujaka) Svetambara sect of Jainism.
Etymology
History
According to Jain tradition, in the first century, Vajrasensuri established four Kulas, subdivisions within Swetambara Murtipujaka Jain community, to divide the community during time of drought to disperse them. They were: Chandra, Nirvriti, Vidyadhar and Nagendra. During 1000 to 1300 CE, the Gaccha replaced these Kula as basic divisions of community.
Although some 84 separate gacchas have appeared since the 7th–8th century, only a few have survived, such as the Kharatara (located mainly in Rajasthan), the Tapa, the Ancala, the Paichand or Pashwachandra, and the Tristutik Gaccha. While the gacchas do not differ from one another in matters of doctrine, they do differ on issues of practice, in particular those practices relating to the sacred calendar and to ritual. The various gacchas also trace their descent through different lineages.
References
- ^ John E. Cort (22 March 2001). Jains in the World : Religious Values and Ideology in India: Religious Values and Ideology in India. Oxford University Press. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-0-19-803037-9. Retrieved 6 August 2014.