Jainism Quiz

Jains count 24 Tirthankaras, or 'ford-makers'. Who was the 24th and last of them?

• Parshvanatha
• Rishabhanatha
• Mahavira
• Neminatha

Answer: Mahavira. Mahavira, born Vardhamana, lived in present-day Bihar around the same time as the Buddha. Parshvanatha was the 23rd Tirthankara and Rishabhanatha the first.

Jainism's 'Three Jewels' are right faith, right knowledge and right what?

• Speech
• Conduct
• Livelihood
• Effort

Answer: Conduct. Right faith, right knowledge and right conduct (the Ratnatraya) together make the Jain path to liberation. Right speech, livelihood and effort belong to the Buddhist Eightfold Path.

Each Tirthankara has an emblem. Rishabhanatha's is the bull. Which animal is Mahavira's?

• Lion
• Elephant
• Snake
• Horse

Answer: Lion. Mahavira's emblem is the lion, which helps identify his images in temples. Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, is shown with a snake's hood above his head.

Shvetambara means 'white-clad'. What is the other main Jain tradition, whose monks give up clothing altogether?

• Sthanakvasi
• Terapanthi
• Digambara
• Murtipujaka

Answer: Digambara. Digambara means 'sky-clad'. Sthanakvasi, Terapanthi and Murtipujaka are all branches within the Shvetambara tradition.

At the close of which Jain festival do people say 'Michchhami Dukkadam' to ask forgiveness for any hurt they have caused?

• Mahavir Jayanti
• Paryushana
• Akshaya Tritiya
• Diwali

Answer: Paryushana. Paryushana is a time of fasting and reflection. Shvetambaras end it on Samvatsari with this request for forgiveness, while Digambaras keep a ten-day festival called Das Lakshana.

Jains mark Diwali as the day Mahavira attained nirvana. Where did that happen, according to Jain tradition?

• Bodh Gaya
• Sarnath
• Kushinagar
• Pavapuri

Answer: Pavapuri. Pavapuri in Bihar has the Jal Mandir, a white marble temple in the middle of a lotus pond. Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar are Buddhist sites.

The Dilwara temples, known for marble ceilings carved as finely as lace, stand in which hill station?

• Mount Abu
• Mussoorie
• Kodaikanal
• Darjeeling

Answer: Mount Abu. Mount Abu in Rajasthan has five Dilwara temples. The oldest, Vimala Vasahi, dates from around 1031.

A 57-foot statue of Bahubali, carved from one block of rock, is anointed in a grand ceremony once every 12 years. Where is it?

• Hampi
• Shravanabelagola
• Halebidu
• Mysuru

Answer: Shravanabelagola. The Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola in Karnataka dates from the late 10th century. The 12-yearly ceremony is called the Mahamastakabhisheka.

Which Jain idea says truth has many sides, often explained with the story of blind men each touching a different part of an elephant?

• Ahimsa
• Aparigraha
• Moksha
• Anekantavada

Answer: Anekantavada. Anekantavada means 'many-sidedness': no single view holds the whole truth. Ahimsa is non-violence and aparigraha is non-possessiveness.

Written in Sanskrit by Umasvati, which text is accepted as authoritative by both Digambaras and Shvetambaras?

• Tattvartha Sutra
• Kalpa Sutra
• Acharanga Sutra
• Samayasara

Answer: Tattvartha Sutra. The Tattvartha Sutra sums up Jain teaching in short aphorisms. The Kalpa Sutra, read aloud during Paryushana, is a Shvetambara text.