Q. With reference to the religious practices in India, the “Sthanakvasi” sect belongs to
- Buddhism
- Jainism
- Vaishnavism
- Shaivism
Answer: (b) Jainism
Notes:
- The Sthanakvasi sect is a sub-sect of the larger Svetambara (meaning “white-robed”) sect of Jainism.
- The Sthanakvasi, whose name refers to the sect’s preference for performing religious duties at a secular place such as a monks’ meetinghouse (sthanak) rather than at a temple, is different from the Murtipujaka sect in that it rejects idolatry.
- It believes that idol worship is not essential in the path of soul purification and attainment of Nirvana/Moksha.
- Sthānakavāsī accept thirty-two of the Jain Agamas, the Śvetāmbara canon, contending that the scriptures make no mention of idol worship and temples.
- In the 15th century, the Jain reformer Loṅkā Śāh, a scribe in the Gujarat region, played a pivotal role in the development of the Sthanakavasi tradition.
