Vidya-Varidhi Champat Rai Jain | |
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| Born | 6 August 1867 Delhi, India |
| Died | 2 June 1942 (aged 74) India |
| Pen name | C.R. Jain |
| Occupation | Barrister |
| Language | English, Hindi, Urdu |
| Subject | Jainism, Comparative religion |
| Notable works | "The Key of Knowledge", "The Practical Dharma", "Jainism Christianity and Science" |
| Notable awards | Jain Darshan Diwakar |
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Champat Rai Jain (6 August 1867–2 June 1942) was a Digambara Jain born in Delhi and who studied and practised law in England. He became an influential Jainism scholar and comparative religion writer between 1910s and 1930s who translated and interpreted Digambara texts. In early 1920s, he became religiously active in India and published essays and articles defending Jainism against misrepresentations by colonial era Christian missionaries, contrasting Jainism and Christianity. He founded Akhil Bharatvarsiya Digambara Jain Parisad in 1923 with the aim of activist reforms and uniting the south Indian and north Indian Digambara community. He visited various European countries to give lectures on Jainism. He was conferred with the title Vidya-Varidhi (lit. Ocean of Wisdom) by Bharata Dharma Mahamandal (The India-Religious Association).