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| Home > History of religion > Jainism > Division of Jainism
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| | Division of Jainism
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There are two sects called Digambaras and Svetambaras. Digambaras live naked as Lord Mahavira was. They appear to be older of the two. Svetambaras put on clothes and cover their mouth with a piece of cloth for fear of injuring insects. Both of them do not differ essentially in their beliefs and practices. For practical reasons, the Digambaras do not admit women as nuns. But Svetambaras have no objection against women in accepting them as nuns.
The two sects differ with regard to their beliefs relating to their religious Scripture. The Svetambaras accept the extant Angas, Upangas and other canonical works as genuine while the Digambaras hold that original work have been lost. The Digambaras have a number of collections in their custody but they are reluctant to make them public. On the whole, the Jainas have preserved a good deal of literary works of India.
The Digambaras (literally "sky clad" or naked): Their monks carry asceticism to the point of rejecting even clothing (even when they appear in public).
 The Shvetambaras (literally "white clad"): their monks wear simple white robes. The laity are permitted to wear clothes of any color.
The Digambaras donot allow women to become a nun in their sect but the women are allowed to become nun and lead lifes of renunciation in the Swetambara sect.
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