|Part of a series on| Jainism (pronounced [dʒɛːnɪzəm]),
traditionally known as Jaina dharma, is an Indian religion that
prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings and
emphasises spiritual independence and equality between all forms
of life. Practitioners believe that non-violence and self-
control are the means by which they can obtain liberation from
the cycle of reincarnations. Currently, Jainism is divided into
two major sects; Digambara and Śvētāmbara. Jainism is one of the
oldest religions of the world,1 identified with the Śramaṇa
tradition of ancient India and connected by some to the Indus
Valley Civilisation. Jains traditionally trace their history
through a succession of twenty-four propagators of faith known
as tirthankara with Ādinātha as the first tirthankara and
Mahāvīra as the last. For long periods of time Jainism was the
state religion of Indian kingdoms and widely adopted in the
Indian subcontinent. The religion has been in decline since the
8th century CE due to the growth o