Chaturtha

Chaturtha is the biggest community (endogamous group) of Digambara Jains.

Chaturthas are spread over southern and western Maharashtra and northern Karnataka.[1]

Chaturths are bilingual, they were originally Kannada speakers, but now speak Marathi at home.[2]

Maharashtra has the largest population of Jains of any single state in India.[3]

Agriculture was traditionally the primary occupation among Chaturthas, but the increase in education has allowed them to branch out into fields such as teaching, medicine, business, industries, government and private services. Some of them have been Kasar.[citation needed]

  1. ^ People of India. By Kumar Suresh Singh, B. V. Bhanu, Anthropological Survey of India. Published 2004. Page 435. ISBN 81-7991-100-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=DEAlCTxJowUC&dq=chaturtha&pg=PA435 Google books link
  2. ^ Maharashtra Ka Jain Samaj. By Mahavir Sanglikar
  3. ^ Sangave, Vilas. Aspects of Jainism. Delhi: Bharatiya Jnanapitha, 1997