Digambara Terapanth Digambara Terapanth Digambara Terapanth is one of the sects of Digambara Jainism, the other being the "Bispanthi" sect. It formed out of strong opposition to the religious domination of traditional religious leaders called "bhattarakas" during the 12-16th century A.D, for the bhattarakas starting deviating from the original/Mula jain customs. They oppose the worship of various minor gods and goddesses. Some Terapanthi practices, like not using flowers in worship, gradually spread throughout most of North Indian Jainism as well. The Terapanthi movement was born out of the "Adhyatma" movement that arose in 1626 AD (V.S. 1683) in Agra. Its leading proponent
Digambara "Bispanthi" also worship "Yaksha" and "Yakshini" like Bhairava and Kshetrapala. Their religious practices include "aarti" and offerings of flowers, fruits and "prasad". "Bhattarakas" are their "dharma-gurus" and they are concentrated in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharastra and South India. According to "Digambara" texts, after attaining "Kevala Jnana" (omniscience), "arihant" (omniscient beings) are free from human needs like hunger, thirst, and sleep. In contrast, Śvētāmbara texts preach that it is not so. According to the "Digambara" tradition, a soul can attain "moksha" (liberation) only from the male body with complete nudity being a necessity. While, Śvētāmbaras believe that women can attain liberation from