Tapa Gachcha

Tapa Gaccha is the largest Gaccha (monastic order) of Svetambara Jainism.

Tapa Gaccha was founded by Acharya Jagatchandra Suri in Vikram Samvat 1285 (1228 AD). He was given the title of "Tapa" (i.e., the meditative one) by the ruler of Mewar. This title was applied to the group.

Under Vijayanandsuri's leadership and other monks, Shwetambara Murtipujak Conference was established in 1893 which reformed mendicant as well as lay religious practices. As a result of this reform, most Shwetambara Jain monks today belong to Tapa Gaccha.

Today, the majority of its followers live in states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madras, West Bengal, Punjab and Rajasthan.

Tapa Gachha is divided in different 21 samuday or orders. The sects follow different rituals but they do not have differences about scriptures.

Some of these differences include Tithi (calendar date), veneration of gurus, pilgrimage of Palitana temples during monsoon and Santikaram (a religious text) chanting on Chaturdasi (14th day in each half of month in Jain calendar).

Ramchandrasuri of Prem Suri order opposed two senior ascetic leaders, Sagaranand and Nemisuri, who held the view that religious ritual dates should not be omitted or held twice in the calendar. In 1935, on Samvatsari, the last day of Paryushan, Ramchandrasuri order observed it on a different day. This became a sectarian issue and they were separated in Ek Tithi Paksh or 'one date fraction' and Be Tithi Paksh or 'two date fraction'. Ek Tithi is followed by seventeen orders while Be Tithi is followed by three orders.Anandji Kalyanji Trust, which manages 1200 Jain temples, unsuccessfully attempted several times to resolve the issue. In 1986, Ramchandrasuri order formally separated from Premsuri order.

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