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This
is the earlier and more austere of Jainism , which is a, ancient,
Nastik philosophy propounded by saints called Tirthankaras. Dig means
direction or space, and ambar means clothes, such that Digambar means
`clothed in space' or naked. The nudeness of Digambar Jains symbolises
complete emancipation from physical and social constraints. Mahavira,
the last of the Jain Tirthankaras who lived in the 6th century B.C., went
about nude without being affected by sun, wind or rain. His band
of followers too were nude, and this may have been the genesis of the
Digambara Jains. During the time of Chandragupta Maurya, Ganadhari Bhadrabahu
, a renowned scholar, led the Digambara Jains south so as to survive a
famine. Returning after several years, he then went away to Nepal , to
breathe his last there.
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