Jainism began in the 500's B.C. Jains consider all life sacred and eat no meat. Some priests wear cloths over their mouths to keep from breathing in an insect and killing it. About half of 1 per cent of all Indians practice Jainism. Most Jains live on the west coast. Many hold high jobs in business and industry.

The first tirthankar, Lord Adinath has been accepted as the historical founder of Jainism. Like Buddha, Mahavir was a prince who propagated the Jain religion. In fact the two were almost contemporaries. Mahavir was born in 626 BC at Kundalapura, close to Vaishali in Bihar, a city frequently visited by Buddha. He was the 24th and the last of the Jain prophets known as the Tirthankars or 'finders of the path'.

The Jains now number only about 4 million. There are many similarities between the two doctrines. Like Buddha, Mahavir too rejected the authority of the Brahmin priest and their rituals, and advocated the equality of men. Both doctrines advocate non-violence and respect for all forms of life; both religions have an established order of monks and nuns. To the Jains, the concept of non-violence is very sacred. The orthodox among them are seen wearing a white cotton mask covering the nose and mouth across the face, and sweeping the ground before them as they walk for the fear of harming even the smallest insect.

The Jains are divided into two sects, the Shwetambaras and the Digambaras. The latter are more austere of the two and the name literally means 'sky clad'. As a sign of their contempt for material possessions, they do not even wear clothes. They are chiefly monks and prefer to stay within the confines of their monasteries.

Jain temples are different as they have a large number of similar buildings that are often erected at one place. These temples too have many columns, of which no two are identical.

Some historians believe that the 22nd Jain tirthankar, Neminath was a cousin of Lord Krishna and the 23rd tirthankar Lord Prshwanath was a prince from Varanasi and lived at a time, when the Upanishads were written. Also during the time of the 23rd tirthankar, Jainism was known as the "Nirgranth" philosophy, as mentioned in ancient Buddhist literatures.