IOverview
Sthanakvasi means those who dwell in halls. It is a branch of the Svetambara tradition, whose mendicants wear white, but it does not worship images. Its religious life takes place in plain meeting halls called sthanak rather than in temples.
Sthanakvasi mendicants wear the mouth cloth, muhpatti, all day except when eating, so that breath and speech do not harm tiny beings in the air. The branch accepts 32 Agamas, fewer than the 45 accepted by image-worshiping Svetambaras, and regards mental worship as the most fitting form of devotion.
Together with the Svetambara Terapanth, which split from the Sthanakvasi in 1760, it is one of the two aniconic branches of the white-clad tradition.
IIOrigins and History
The branch goes back to Lonka Shah, a scribe in 15th century Ahmedabad. Copying scriptures, he found that the Agamas did not describe image worship as it was practiced in temples, and he argued that building temples, offering flowers and bathing images harmed very small living beings. He founded a movement known as the Lonka Gaccha.
In time the Lonka Gaccha itself had mendicants who lived laxly. In the 17th century those who wanted stricter discipline, among them Lava of Surat, left and established a new way of practice. They lived in halls rather than temples, and the name Sthanakvasi grew from that.
- 15th centuryLonka ShahA layman in Ahmedabad rejects image worship. Sources differ on the date, some giving 1451 and others about 1474 to 1476.
- 17th centuryLava of SuratEstablishes a strict practice, the formative moment of the Sthanakvasi.
- 17th to 18th centuryThe five foundersThe monks Jivraji, Harji Rishi, Dharmsinhji, Lavaji Rishi and Dharmadasji consolidate the tradition, each leaving a line of disciples.
- 1760The Terapanth splits offAcharya Bhikshu leaves the Sthanakvasi and founds the Svetambara Terapanth in Rajasthan.
- 1836A new naming patternSampradays begin to take regional names such as Gondal, Limbdi and Barwala instead of teachers' names.
- 1952Shraman SanghAt the Sadri conference in Rajasthan, many sampradays merge into one order. Acharya Atmaram leads it from 1952 to 1962.
IIITeachings and Distinctive Features
Sthanakvasi Jains hold that image worship is not essential to purifying the soul and that it was borrowed from other religions. For them the truest worship is bhava puja, worship of the mind: recalling the qualities of the Tirthankaras, reciting scripture, meditating and keeping the vows.
On scripture, the Sthanakvasi accept 32 Agamas and set aside those containing passages on image worship, which they regard as later additions. They share most of what other Jain branches hold: the five vows, the many-sidedness of truth, karma as subtle matter, and the path of right faith, knowledge and conduct.
The image debate has never been settled. In the 19th century the monk Atmaram (1837 to 1896), originally a Sthanakvasi, found many references to images in Prakrit texts and Sanskrit commentaries, and moved to the image-worshiping Svetambara as Vijayanandasuri. Each side still keeps its own reading of scripture.
IVSthanak, Muhpatti and Religious Life
A sthanak is a meeting hall with no image altar. Lay followers go there to hear sermons, recite scripture, perform samayika, forty-eight minutes of sitting still in equanimity, and pratikramana, the morning and evening rite of repentance. Wandering mendicants stay in the local sthanak wherever they arrive.
The muhpatti is a small white cloth tied behind the ears to cover the mouth. Sthanakvasi mendicants wear it all day except when eating. Murtipujaka mendicants only hold it before the mouth when preaching or reading scripture.
| Point | Sthanakvasi | Murtipujaka |
|---|---|---|
| Image worship | No | Yes |
| Place of gathering | Sthanak hall | Derasar temple |
| Number of Agamas | 32 | 45 |
| Muhpatti | Worn all day except when eating | Held when preaching or reading scripture |
| Main form of worship | Mental worship | Puja before images and mental worship |
No. The muhpatti long predates any idea of hygiene or contagion. Its purpose is to keep the vow of nonviolence, so that breath and speech do not harm tiny beings in the air.
VSampradays and the Shraman Sangh
The Sthanakvasi are divided into many sampradays, or mendicant lineages. Older ones are named after teachers, such as the Khambhat line founded by disciples of Lavaji Rishi, the Dariyapuri line of Dharmsinhji, and the Bavish Tola of Rajasthan in the line of Dharmadasji. From 1836 newer lines in Gujarat took regional names such as Gondal, Limbdi and Barwala.
In 1952 the Sadri conference in Rajasthan brought many sampradays together as the Shraman Sangh, a single order under one acharya. Acharya Atmaram led it from 1952 to 1962 and Acharya Anand Rishi from 1964 to 1992, and the current leader is Acharya Shiv Muni. Not every sampraday joined, and some Gujarati lines keep their own organization.
The branch is strongest in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan. India's census does not break Jains down by branch, so there are no reliable membership figures.
VIIn Vietnam
There is no significant Sthanakvasi community in Vietnam, no sthanak and no mendicants. Mendicants of this branch go barefoot and do not use vehicles, so they are not present outside the Indian subcontinent. No source found records a Sthanakvasi association in Vietnam.
VIISymbol of the Branch
Mouth cloth
मुहपत्ती Muhapattī
VIIISub-branches
- Khambhat
- Dariyapuri
- Bavish Tola
- Gondal, Limbdi, Barwala and other regional sampradays
IXOther Branches of Jainism
Svetambara Murtipujakaश्वेताम्बर मूर्तिपूजक Śvetāmbara MūrtipūjakaThe largest Svetambara branch, white-clad.
Digambaraदिगम्बर DigambaraThe second major stream.Sthanakvasiस्थानकवासी SthānakavāsīAn aniconic Svetambara branch, going back to Lonka Shah in the 15th century and formed in the 17th century by Lava of Surat.
Svetambara Terapanthश्वेताम्बर तेरापंथ Śvetāmbara TerāpanthAn aniconic Svetambara branch founded by Acharya Bhikshu on 28 June 1760, splitting from the Sthanakvasi.Uses the common symbol of the pathKanji Panth (Mumukshu)कानजी पंथ Kānjī PanthA lay movement following Kanji Swami (1890 to 1980), a former Sthanakvasi monk who turned to the Digambara path in 1934, centred at Songadh, Gujarat.Uses the common symbol of the pathTaran Panthतारण पंथ Tāraṇ PanthA Digambara branch founded by Taran Svami in 1505 in Bundelkhand.Uses the common symbol of the pathXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
What does Sthanakvasi mean?
Those who dwell in halls. The name refers to the branch's practice of gathering in sthanak meeting halls rather than in image temples.
Why do Sthanakvasi mendicants cover their mouths?
To keep the vow of nonviolence, so that breath and speech do not harm tiny beings in the air. Mendicants of this branch wear the muhpatti all day and remove it only to eat.
How do the Sthanakvasi and Terapanth differ?
Both reject image worship and accept 32 Agamas. The Terapanth split from the Sthanakvasi in 1760 and follows a single acharya for the whole order, while the Sthanakvasi are divided into many sampradays, part of which merged into the Shraman Sangh in 1952.