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 monk most revered "Digambara" monks. Every Digambara monk is required to observe 28 "mula gunas" (lit. twenty-eight primary attributes) compulsory. These are also called root-virtues, because it is said that in their absence other saintly virtues cannot be acquired. They are thus like the root, in the absence of which stems and branches tuneless come into being. These twenty-eight primary attributes are: five supreme vows ("mahāvrata"); five regulations ("samiti"); five-fold control of the senses ("pañcendriya nirodha"); six essential duties ("Şadāvaśyaka"); and seven rules or restrictions ("niyama"). According to Acharya Samantabhadra’s Ratnakaraņdaka śrāvakācāra: The first vow of a Digambara monk relates to