Jainism has a long history in the Punjab, with the Śvetāmbara sect being prevalent, especially the Kharataragaccha tradition. The Sthānakavāsī tradition was also active in the region. The Digambaras were historically less influential in the region. The earliest evidence of Jainism comes from Taxila and Sirkap. Traditional Jain lore holds that Mahavira visited a settlement in Punjab. The evolution of local Jainism in the region during the Islamic era is highlighted by the rivalry between the amūrtipūjaka versus mūrtipūjaka factions of Jainism regarding the subject of image-veneration. After the partition of India in 1947, Pakistani Punjab lost its Jain population while many eastward fleeing Jain refugees added to the community's population in Indian Punjab. A caste highly associated with Jainism in the region are the Bhabra, although Punjabi Jains hailed from various caste and communal backgrounds. The religion did not achieve widespread adoption in the Punjab but it was followed in some cities and villages of the region. The Punjabi Jains were sectorally divided into various sects and schools, differentiating from one another by their beliefs and practices.
History
Origin
Jainism is one of the earliest belief-systems of the Indian subcontinent, based upon the twenty-four tirthankars. According to Jain tradition, Jainism has been present in Punjab since the period of Mahavira. Some claims link Jainism to the Indus Valley Civilization, such as an excavated mound at Harappa that may have uncovered images that are similar to the tirthankars, however this is not conclusive nor ascertained. Archeological finds at Sirkap can trace a Jain presence to the 1st century BCE. Jainism arose in eastern India but diminished in its homeland, instead it took root in western and southern India, where it continued to be practiced. In Punjab, Jainism was an urban religion, being practiced in cities but it was also found in villages.
As per Jain lore, Mahavira visited the site of Bhera in Punjab. A 15th century Jain temple was built at the same location. After this, Mahavira travelled to Gujarat, crossing the Punjab Plain and through Tharparkar district in Sindh. Jain shrines built at Kasur, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Bhera, and Jhelum may have commemorated visits by Mahavira to these settlements. A few followers of Mahavira whom were motivated by the principles of non-violence and non-attachment from Punjab and Sindh may have existed during this early-stage of Jain history. Furthermore, Samprati dispatched missionaries the to spread Jain teachings of Mahavira in the region.
The earliest Jain communities seem to have been in Taxila and Tharparkar, before they gradually began settling in different settlements in Punjab and Sindh linked by trade-routes. A Jain community arose in Taksasila, Harappa, Simhapura,Parvatika, Nagarkot-Kangra, Sindhudesa, and Lahore.
Ancient period
Taxila was closely associated with Jainism, with the first recorded evidence in Punjab coming from Taxila, as per Hira Lal Dugar. In ancient times, Taxila had a variety of names, such as Shakambhari, Taxila, Kunal Desha, Gajani, Shaki Dheri, Dharamachakara Bhumika, and Chedimastaka.Kailash Chand Jain dates the Jain influence in the Gandhara region (which includes the Taxila area) to the first centuries CE. According to the Jaina tradition, Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, entrusted the region of Ayodhya to his son Bharata and the region of Takshashila to his son Bahubali.
As per canonical Śvetāmbara Jaina texts Āvaśyaka Cūrṇi and Āvaśyaka Niryukti, Tirthankara Rishabhanatha visited Takshashila while wandering after initiation as a monk millions of years ago. Upon learning of his arrival, Bahubali, who was not in the city at that moment, rushed to the city, but the Rishabhanatha had already departed before Bahubali arrived. His footprints were subsequently consecrated by Bahubali who erected a throne and a jewelled dharmachakra ('wheel of the law') over them several miles in height and circumference. The 14th century Vividha Tirtha Kalpa mentions this establishment, stating: "तक्षशिलायां बाहुबलीविनिर्मितं धर्मचक्रम्॥" - Ācārya Jinaprabhāsūri in "Vividha Tirtha Kalpa" (p. 85) As per the canonical Jaina text Mahanishith Sutra, the Dharmachakra Tirtha established by Bahubali is recognized as the abode of Chandraprabha, and Takshashila is also referred to as "Dharmachakra Bhumi," marking its significance as a center of Jainism. The association of Bahubali and Taxila is also found in the Jain text Vividhatīrthakalpa by Jinaprabha.
While there is limited information about the subsequent period, it is noted that during the medieval era, Takshashila faced challenges due to the proliferation of fraudulent ascetics and a lack of proper sustenance, leading to restrictions on Jaina ascetics' wandering in the region, as documented in six ancient Jaina texts known as the Chedasūtras.
Emperor Samprati built a Jaina temple known as "Kunala Stupa" in honor of his father Kunala. During Samprati's rule, the extent of the wandering of Jaina monks developed multifold times, and later also included this region.
According to the Prabhavakacharita, by the second or third century CE, Takshashila had approximately 500 Jaina temples and was home to a significant Jaina population. However, a devastating plague struck the city, leading to widespread death and chaos. The Jaina community sent a Sravaka named Virchand to Nadol, who conveyed their suffering to Acharya Manadevasuri. Suri gave "Laghu Shanti Stava," stating that reciting it would alleviate the plague. Following the recitation, the plague subsided within a few days. However, in the third year, the Turks devastated the city.
According to Acharya Dhaneswarasuri's "Shatrunjaya Mahatmya," Javad Shah, a merchant from Mahuva, renovated Palitana temples in Vikrama Samvat 108. He retrieved an image of Rishabhanatha from Takshashila and established it as the principal deity at the principal shrine amongst Shatrunjaya temples. The Gujarati Jain temple Shatrunjaya has a donation record from one Jadav Shah of Taxila.
During Alexander the Great's campaign and the Greek invasion of the Gandhara region in around the 1st century CE, the Greeks recorded encounters with "gymnosophists". The city of Taxila was noted for containing around a hundred Jain stupas (only one of which was identified by John Marshall). Subsequent excavations at the site have uncovered Jain-linked structures, such as the Chirana Padukas at the Murti temple site in Chakwal district.
Excavations in Takshashila support these traditions. John Marshall, the first to conduct systematic excavations at the site, initially thought the newly found Jain structures at Sirkap to be Buddhist until he realized they were architecturally different from the existing Buddhist structures and more similar to the Jain temple (Āyāgapatas) discovered at the Kankali Tila. Marshall noted that Indo-Greek kings displaced the city from its fortified position and settled it in Sirkap during the early years of the second century BCE. The city remained inhabited through the Greek, Shaka, Pahlava, and Kushan periods. Numerous small and large temples have been discovered along the main road of Sirkap. Dr. Marshall concluded that the temples in blocks 'F' and 'G' of Sirkap are Jaina temples due to their architectural similarities with Kankali Tila, a Jaina stupa, found in Mathura. In block 'G,' located on the right side of the main road, numerous ruins of large buildings have been found, characterized by the presence of small temples alongside these structures, which were accessible to devotees. This evidence strongly supports claims by the Jaina tradition that Takshashila was a significant center for Jainism.
A Jain votive tank symbolizing the four elements earth, air, fire and water dating to the 2nd century BCE was discovered at a stupa in Sirkap, now part of the Islamabad Museum's collection. A dancing terracotta female figurine linked to Jainism dated to the 3rd century BCE was uncovered at Bhir Mound in Taxila in January 2026.
There are disputed claims originating from the Divyāvadāna text that the ruler Pushyamitra Shunga killed Jain monks and destroyed their sites at Jalandhar. While Jainism was present in northern Punjab through the 1st to 2nd centuries CE, there is a lack of ancient remains after this point that have been uncovered. However, Jainism remained active in the Tharparkar region of Sindh, whom were linked to the Jain merchants of Gujarat and Rajasthan. As per the Shravanabelagola inscription (1050 Saka era), the Jain monk Sāmantabhadra conducted religious debates in several places, including in Takka (Punjab), during the 2nd century CE. The Jain text Śāntistavana by Manadeva from the 3rd century CE mentions the restoration of Taxila after an invasion by the Turuṣkas. Taxila was believed to have five-hundred Jain temples prior to its destruction in the 6th century CE by Turkic invaders. The Jains of Taxila hid their idols underground during this conflict.
Apart from Taxila and Sirkap, the localities of Opian (connected to ancient Kapisa) in eastern Afghanistan and Katas (in the Salt Range, connected to the ancient Sihapura/Simhapura) in the broader region are also connected to Jainism. The eleventh tirthankar, Śreyāṃsa, is believed to have been born at Simhapura. Jain artefacts, such as statues, were uncovered at Simhapura. The seventh century CE work Varāngacharita mentions Simhapura as being auspicious to Śreyāṃsa. A text known as the Therāvalī refers to the Auḍambarikā śākhā which originated from Rohaṇa. The Auḍambarikā śākhā is linked to the Audumbaras tribe, who inhabited Punjab. As per the Sthirāvalī of the Kalpa-Sūtra, the Majhamika branch of the Jainasaṁgha was founded by the second pupil of Susthita Supratibuddha, Priyagrantha, in the second century BCE. The śrāvakas of the Majhamika branch of the Jainasaṁgha may have shifted from Punjab to Mathura, as per a Kushan inscription from the second century CE recording their presence in Mathura.
Lohacarya (4 BCE – 38 CE), one of the four Jain Pattavalis and 28th guru after Mahavira, settled in Lahore and propagated Jainism in Punjab. He was succeeded by the Suri, the Sethi, and the Bhandara clans.
Mediaeval period From the 8th century to the British colonial period, the Jains were active in art, trade, and commerce. Furthermore, Jain temples are found from this period in all the major settlements of Punjab that were linked to trade-routes. Punjab and Sindh formed the region of Sindhudesh, where the Indus river basin was. Jains were present at Multan (which remained a critical site for Punjabi Jainism for centuries), Muzaffargarh, and Sahiwal. They were also inhabiting Malika vahana Pura, Mammana Pura, Maruktta, Droha dotta, Farid Pura (Pak Pattan), Devapala Pura (Dipalpur), Bhera, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kohat, Bannu, and Mianwali. Jain also existed at Lahore, which Jain texts call Labhapura. Jainism in Punjab had regional links to Gujarat and Marwar. Jain idols dating to the 8th and 9th centuries CE have been discovered in Punjab. The settlement of Pavvaiyā (most likely located in Punjab on the bank of the Chenab river), where the capital of Toramana was, is recorded as being home to many Jain scholars and monks as per the Kuvalaya-mālā text by Uddyotana-sūri from the 7th century CE. Toramana was a disciple of Harigupta of the Gupta family.