text: digambara digambara ( / / ; " sky - clad " ) is one of the two major schools of jainism , the other being śvētāmbara ( white - clad ) . the word digambara ( sanskrit ) is a combination of two words : dig ( directions ) and ( clothes ) , referring to those whose garments are of the element that fills the four quarters of space . digambara monks do not wear any clothes . the monks carry picchi , a broom made up of fallen peacock feathers ( for clearing the place before walking or sitting ) , kamandalu ( a water gourd ) , and shastra ( scripture ) . one of the most important scholar - monks of digambara tradition was kundakunda . he authored prakrit texts such as the samayasāra and the . other prominent of this tradition were , virasena ( author of a commentary on the dhavala ) , samantabhadra and siddhasena . the and have major significance in the digambara tradition . monasticism the word digambara is a combination of two sanskrit words : dig ( directions ) and ( clothes ) , referring to those whose garments are of the element that fills the four quarters of space . digambara monks do not wear any clothes as it is considered to be parigraha ( possession ) , which ultimately leads to attachment . a digambara monk has 28 ( primary attributes ) . these are : five ( supreme vows ) ; five samitis ( regulations ) ; ( five - fold control of the senses ) ; ( six essential duties ) ; and seven niyamas ( rules or restrictions ) . the monks carry picchi , a broom made up of fallen peacock feathers for removing small insects without causing them injury , ( the gourd for carrying pure , sterilized water ) and shastra ( scripture ) . the head of all monastics is called āchārya , while the saintly preceptor of saints is the . the āchārya has 36 primary attributes ( ) in addition to the 28 mentioned above . the monks perform kayotsarga daily , in a rigid and immobile posture , with the arms held stiffly down , knees straight , and toes directed forward . lineage according to digambara texts , after liberation of the lord mahavira , three attained ( omniscience ) sequentially – gautama , acharya , and in next 62 years . during the next hundred years , five āchāryas had complete knowledge of the scriptures , as such , called , the last of them being āchārya bhadrabahu . spiritual lineage of heads of monastic orders is known as . the digambara tradition was divided into two main orders : mula sangha , which includes sena gana , gana and gana traditions sangha , which includes the mathura gana and lat - gana traditions the of shravanabelagola and belong to gana and the of belongs to the gana . historicity relics found from excavations like seals depicting posture , idols in padmasana and a nude bust of red limestone give insight about the antiquity of the digambara tradition . the presence of gymnosophists ( naked philosophers ) in greek records as early as the fourth century bc , supports the claim of the digambaras that they have preserved the ancient practice . worship the digambara jains worship completely nude idols of tirthankaras ( omniscient beings ) and siddha ( liberated souls ) . the tirthankara is represented either seated in yoga posture or standing in the posture . the truly " sky - clad " ( ) jaina statue expresses the perfect isolation of the one who has stripped off every bond . his is an absolute " abiding in itself , " a strange but perfect aloofness , a nudity of chilling majesty , in its stony simplicity , rigid contours , and abstraction . statues scriptures the digambara sect of jainism rejects the authority of the texts accepted by the other major sect , the . according to the digambaras , āchārya guided two āchāryas , pushpadanta and bhutabali , to put the teachings of mahavira in written form , 683 years after the nirvana of mahavira . the two āchāryas wrote ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama on palm leaves which is considered to be among the oldest known digambara texts . āchārya bhutabali was the last ascetic who had partial knowledge of the original jain agamas . later on , some learned āchāryas started to restore , compile and put into written words the teachings of lord mahavira , that were the subject matter of agamas . digambaras group the texts into four literary categories called anuyoga ( exposition ) . the ( first exposition ) contains the universal history , the ( calculation exposition ) contains works on cosmology and the ( behaviour exposition ) includes texts about proper behaviour for monks and . differences with śvētāmbara sect according to digambara texts , after attaining kevala jnana ( omniscience ) , arihant ( omniscient beings ) are free from human needs like hunger , thirst , and sleep . according to the digambara tradition , a woman has to be reborn as a man for salvation . sub - sects digambaras are divided into various sub - sects viz . terapanthi , bispanthi , ( or ) , and . terapanthi the worship the idols with ashta - viz. ( water ) , ( sandal ) , ( sacred rice ) , ( yellow rice ) , deep ( yellow dry coconut ) , ( or cloves ) and fal ( almonds ) . terapanthi is a reformist sect of digambara jainism that distinguished itself from the bispanthi sect . it formed out of strong opposition to the religious domination of traditional religious leaders called during 12 – 16th century a.d. they oppose the worship of various minor gods and goddesses . some terapanthi practices , like not using flowers in worship , gradually spread throughout most of north indian jainism as well . occur in large numbers in rajasthan , uttar pradesh and madhya pradesh . bispanthi besides tirthankaras , bispanthi also worship yaksha and like bhairava and . their religious practices include aarti and offerings of flowers , fruits and prasad . are their dharma - gurus and they are concentrated in rajasthan and gujarat .