- 1. Jainism is an ancient Indian religion that emphasizes non-violence towards all living beings, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-attachment. Followers of Jainism, known as Jains, believe in the concept of ahimsa (non-violence) as the highest moral value. Jains also strive to live a simple life, practice meditation, and focus on self-discipline to attain spiritual liberation. The core teachings of Jainism revolve around the principles of karma, reincarnation, and the pursuit of enlightenment to break the cycle of birth and death. Jainism has a rich tradition of philosophical and ethical teachings, as well as a strong emphasis on compassion and respect for all forms of life.
What is the religious text of Jainism called?
A) Puranas
B) Agamas
C) Vedas
D) Ramayana
- 2. Jainism originated in which country?
A) Sri Lanka
B) China
C) Japan
D) India
- 3. Which of the following is one of the core principles of Jainism?
A) Sacrifice
B) Idol worship
C) Non-violence
D) Cannibalism
- 4. What is the name of the festival that marks the birth of Mahavira?
A) Mahavir Jayanti
B) Navratri
C) Diwali
D) Holi
- 5. What is the purpose of the Jain practice of 'Pratikramana'?
A) To offer sacrifices
B) To achieve fame
C) To celebrate festivals
D) To repent for sins
- 6. Jainism teaches the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, known as:
A) Nirvana
B) Samsara
C) Karma
D) Dharma
- 7. Jain monks and nuns are known as:
A) Pandits
B) Gurus
C) Rishis
D) Sadhus and Sadhvis
- 8. Which of the following is a pilgrimage site important to Jains?
A) Taj Mahal
B) Shatrunjaya
C) Konark Sun Temple
D) Agra
- 9. How many tirthankaras are recognized in Jainism?
A) Twenty-four
B) Fifty-one
C) Twelve
D) Thirty-two
- 10. What is the ultimate spiritual goal of Jain philosophy?
A) Nirvana
B) Moksha (liberation from karma)
C) Siddhi
D) Bodhi
- 11. Which ethical principle in Jainism emphasizes non-absolutism or many-sided reality?
A) Ahimsa
B) Satya
C) Anekāntavāda
D) Aparigraha
- 12. What does the vow of aparigraha require monks to do?
A) Renounce all property
B) Wear special garments
C) Fasting every week
D) Pray daily for forgiveness
- 13. Which historical figure is considered the first tirthankara in Jainism?
A) Pārśvanātha
B) Rishabhanatha
C) Mahavira
D) Buddha
- 14. Who was the contemporary of Buddha and a central figure in the Śramaṇa movement?
A) Mahavira
B) Rishabhanatha
C) Gautama
D) Pārśvanātha
- 15. Which Jain festival is also known as das lakshana?
A) Paryushana
B) Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
C) Diwali
D) Akshaya Tritiya
- 16. What does the term 'jain' mean?
A) Spiritual teacher
B) Follower of the conquerors
C) Ascetic practitioner
D) Bondless wanderer
- 17. Which ethical pillar of Jainism involves nonviolence?
A) Aparigraha
B) Anekāntavāda
C) Satya
D) Ahiṃsā
- 18. Which sub-tradition in Jainism is known as 'sky-clad'?
A) Vaishnavas
B) Digambaras
C) Śvētāmbaras
D) Shaivas
- 19. What does the term 'jina' mean in Jainism?
A) Follower
B) Teacher
C) Conqueror
D) Ascetic
- 20. Which of the following is not one of the three jewels (ratnatraya) in Jainism?
A) Samyak charitra
B) Samyak tapas (correct asceticism)
C) Samyak darśana
D) Samyak gyana
- 21. Which vow requires Jains to always speak the truth?
A) Satya
B) Aparigraha
C) Asteya
D) Brahmacharya
- 22. What does 'asteya' mean in Jainism?
A) Non-violence
B) Celibacy
C) Non-possessiveness
D) Not stealing
- 23. Which vow is associated with abstinence from sex and sensual pleasures for Jain monks and nuns?
A) Brahmacharya
B) Asteya
C) Ahiṃsā
D) Satya
- 24. What is the significance of 'samyak darśana'?
A) Correct conduct consistent with teachings
B) Right knowledge and understanding of self
C) Belief in ascetic practices
D) Right vision or faith in Jain teachings
- 25. Which vow is related to non-attachment to material possessions?
A) Satya
B) Brahmacharya
C) Asteya
D) Aparigraha
- 26. Which tradition involves ascetics as wandering mendicants?
A) Buddhist tradition
B) Digambara tradition
C) Vedic tradition
D) Śvētāmbara tradition
- 27. Which tattva describes the living, sentient soul?
A) Bandha
B) Ajīva
C) Jīva
D) Āsrava
- 28. How many potential birth-situations does Jainism describe for the unliberated soul?
A) 8.4 million.
B) 42 million.
C) 12.
D) 1,000.
- 29. How many realms or lokas are there in Jain cosmology?
A) Three: Urdhva Loka, Madhya Loka, Adho Loka.
B) Infinite realms.
C) Two: heaven and hell.
D) Four: including a realm for gods.
- 30. Which realm in Jain cosmology is inhabited by humans, animals, and plants?
A) Adho Loka.
B) A separate human realm.
C) Urdhva Loka.
D) Madhya Loka (middle world).
- 31. How does Jainism view the five vows for monks and nuns?
A) They are optional depending on individual beliefs.
B) They promote a benign attitude towards other ethical positions.
C) They are flexible guidelines that can be interpreted in various ways.
D) They are strict requirements with no 'perhaps' about them.
- 32. Which additional means of knowledge is sometimes included by some Jain texts?
A) Analogy (upamana)
B) Intuition
C) Divine revelation
D) Meditation
- 33. Who are considered perfect enlightened souls with a body in Jainism?
A) Tirthankaras
B) Bodhisattvas
C) Siddhas (liberated souls)
D) Arihants (victors)
- 34. What type of beings are worshipped by heavenly, earthly, and hellish beings in Jainism?
A) Arihants
B) Tirthankaras
C) Liberated beings
D) Celestial beings
- 35. Which tirthankara is considered a historical figure and likely founded a proto-Jain ascetic community?
A) Rishabhanatha
B) Neminatha
C) Parshvanatha
D) Mahavira
- 36. Who was the contemporary of Mahavira and a founder of another major Indian religion?
A) Rama
B) Krishna
C) The Buddha
D) Vasudeva
- 37. Which dynasty's kings were patrons of Jainism?
A) Gupta dynasty
B) Maurya dynasty
C) Chola dynasty
D) Haryanka dynasty
- 38. How did Chandragupta Maurya die according to Jain tradition?
A) By poisoning
B) In battle
C) Of natural causes
D) By fasting at Shravanabelagola
- 39. What is required for a soul to attain enlightenment and liberation in Jainism?
A) A human body
B) A celestial body
C) An animal body
D) A hellish body
- 40. Which king's inscription at Udayagiri Caves provides early evidence for Jainism?
A) Emperor Ashoka
B) King Kharavela
C) Nanda dynasty king
D) Chandragupta Maurya
- 41. What is associated with each of the twenty-four tirthankaras?
A) Cosmological diagrams
B) Distinctive emblems
C) Bronze images
D) Ayagapata tablets
- 42. Which Mughal emperor was known for making patronage and grants to Jain pilgrimage sites?
A) Humayun
B) Aurangzeb
C) Babur
D) Jahangir
- 43. Which text is attributed to Acharya Bhutbali?
A) Kasayapahuda
B) Tattvarthasūtra
C) Shatkhandagama
D) Samayasara
- 44. What did the British colonial government in India promote while passing laws against roaming naked?
A) Complete religious freedom without restrictions
B) Religious tolerance
C) Abolition of all religious practices
D) Conversion to Christianity
- 45. Which supreme beings are worshipped in the six essential duties (avashyakas) for śrāvakas?
A) Pañca-Parameṣṭhi
B) Trimurti
C) Avatars
D) Devas
- 46. How many outer austerities are often repeated in later Jain texts?
A) Eight
B) Ten
C) Four
D) Six
- 47. What is offered in Jain temples on Diwali morning?
A) Sweets
B) Rice pudding
C) Nirvan Ladoo
D) Diya
- 48. What vow do Jain monks and advanced laypeople observe by eating only once a day?
A) Satya-vrata
B) Ahimsa-vrata
C) Asteya-vrata
D) Ratri-bhojana-tyaga-vrata
- 49. What symbolizes non-possession even of clothes in Jain ascetic life?
A) Fasting
B) Penance
C) Nakedness
D) Body mortification
- 50. Which tirthankara is predominantly worshipped by Digambara Jains?
A) Mahāvīra
B) Parshvanatha
C) Neminatha
D) Bahubali
- 51. What is the ultimate ritual in Jainism that involves ascetic abandonment?
A) Puja
B) Darsana
C) Abhisheka
D) Sallekhana
- 52. Which Mughal emperor desecrated Jain religious shrines most notably?
A) Aurangzeb
B) Akbar
C) Jahangir
D) Humayun
- 53. Who greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi's understanding of Ahiṃsā?
A) Dada Bhagwan.
B) Chandanaji.
C) Shrimad Rajchandra.
D) Kanji Swami.
- 54. Which sect believes that women can achieve liberation through asceticism?
A) Śvētāmbara
B) Kushan
C) Yapaniyas
D) Digambara
- 55. What phrase do Jains use to ask for forgiveness during Paryushana?
A) "Micchami Dukkadam"
B) "Namaste"
C) "Ram Ram"
D) "Jai Jinendra"
- 56. Which mantra is broadly accepted across various sects of Jainism?
A) Gayatri Mantra
B) Om Mani Padme Hum
C) Hare Krishna Mantra
D) Five homage (panca namaskara)
- 57. Who more commonly observes fasting among laypeople in Jainism?
A) Women
B) Children
C) Men
D) Elders
- 58. Under whose influence did Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana become a Vaishnavite?
A) Ramanuja
B) Muhammad bin Tughluq
C) Alauddin Khalji
D) Acharya Mahasena
- 59. What does samayika connotate for a Jain householder?
A) Attending temple services
B) Assuming temporary ascetic status
C) Permanent renunciation
D) Daily meditation
- 60. What is the four-fold order of Jain monastic organization called?
A) Sangh
B) Tantras
C) Vedas
D) Upanishads
- 61. What do Jain householders spread for birds as an act of charity?
A) Grain
B) Medicine
C) Water
D) Clothes
- 62. Which Pallava king converted from Jainism to Shaivism?
A) Mularaja
B) Harshavardhana
C) Mahendravarman I
D) Āma
- 63. Which text is the oldest known Digambara Jain text attributed to Acharya Pushpdanta?
A) Niyamasara
B) Kasayapahuda
C) Samayasara
D) Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra
- 64. What is the term for practicing serenity and meditation in Jainism?
A) Yoga
B) Samayika
C) Dhyana
D) Pranayama
- 65. Which emperor mentioned Niganthas in his pillar edicts?
A) Bindusara
B) Chandragupta Maurya
C) Emperor Ashoka
D) King Kharavela
- 66. Who are the male ascetics in Jainism?
A) Śrāvaka
B) Śrāvikā
C) Sadhu (muni)
D) Sadhvi
- 67. Which group is believed to have originated from the Ardhaphalaka?
A) Digambaras
B) Yapaniyas
C) Kushans
D) Śvētāmbaras
- 68. What is a moolnayak in a Jain temple?
A) A sacred scripture
B) A type of ritual
C) The primary deity image
D) A ceremonial staff
- 69. Which language do Śvētāmbara Jains believe the spoken scriptural language to be?
A) Prakrit
B) Sanskrit
C) Ardhamagadhi
D) Pali
- 70. Which temple marks the revival of Jainism in South India during the eighth century?
A) Ellora Caves
B) Mangi-Tungi Caves
C) Kazhugumalai Temple
D) Badami Caves
- 71. What type of votive tablet is used in early Jainism for donation and worship?
A) Tiloyapannati
B) Kahavaali
C) Samavasarana
D) Ayagapata
- 72. Who became the first Jain woman to receive the title of Acharya in 1987?
A) Dada Bhagwan.
B) Shrimad Rajchandra.
C) Chandanaji.
D) Kanji Swami.
- 73. What type of diet do devout Jains practice?
A) Pescatarian
B) Ovo-vegetarianism
C) Veganism
D) Lacto-vegetarianism
- 74. Which Tirthankara do Śvētāmbaras believe was female?
A) Parshvanatha
B) Rishabhanatha
C) Māllīnātha
D) Mahavira
- 75. Which museum houses the earliest known Jain image?
A) Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai
B) Indian Museum, Kolkata
C) Patna Museum
D) British Museum, London
- 76. Who predicted a twelve-year famine in Magadha according to the Digambara tradition?
A) Mahavira
B) Sthulabhadra
C) Acharya Bhadrabahu
D) Sivabhuti
- 77. What are yakshas and yakshinis in Jain art?
A) Forms of meditation postures
B) Attendant spirits who guard the tirthankara
C) Types of votive tablets
D) Distinctive emblems of tirthankaras
- 78. What type of tablets were found at Kankali Tila, indicating early Jain community organization?
A) Ayagapatas (votive tablets)
B) Stele inscriptions
C) Manuscripts of the Agamas
D) Edicts of Ashoka
- 79. Which ancient Jain monument is located near Bhelsa (Vidisha)?
A) Udaigiri Hills
B) Palitana Temples
C) Dilwara Temples
D) Ellora Caves
- 80. What type of Jain Tirtha is Mahavirji considered to be?
A) Puranakshetra
B) Gyanakshetra
C) Atishayakshetra
D) Siddhakshetra
- 81. What do Śvētāmbara monastics wear?
A) No clothes at all
B) Colorful garments
C) Unstitched plain white sarees
D) Simple, seamless white robes
- 82. Which Jain Tirtha is the site of moksha for Mahaveera?
A) Shikharji
B) Palitana
C) Girnar
D) Pawapuri
- 83. Which Mughal emperor ravaged the fort of Chittor and ordered the destruction of several Jain shrines in 1567?
A) Aurangzeb
B) Akbar
C) Jahangir
D) Babur
- 84. Who represented Jainism at the first World Parliament of Religions in 1893?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Champat Rai Jain
C) Virchand Gandhi
D) Shrimad Rajchandra
- 85. Who founded the Digambara sect according to Śvētāmbara texts?
A) Mahavira
B) Sivabhuti
C) Sthulabhadra
D) Acharya Bhadrabahu
- 86. How many original Jain scriptures do Śvētāmbaras believe they have preserved?
A) 50
B) 45
C) 30
D) 40
- 87. Which text is considered authoritative by all traditions of Jainism?
A) Kalpa Sūtras
B) Tattvarthasūtra
C) Shatkhandagama
D) Samayasara
- 88. Which minister converted many Jains to the Lingayat Shaivite sect in the 11th century?
A) King Āma
B) Mularaja
C) Vishnuvardhana
D) Basava
- 89. Who constructed a Jain temple in the 10th century despite not being a Jain?
A) Basava
B) Mularaja
C) Vishnuvardhana
D) King Āma
- 90. When do Tirthankara statues date back to?
A) Third century BCE
B) First century CE
C) Fourth century BCE
D) Second century BCE
- 91. Which ruler of the Delhi Sultanate permitted the reconstruction of temples razed during earlier Muslim conquests?
A) Alp Khan
B) Muhammad bin Tughluq
C) Akbar
D) Babur
- 92. Which empire's time revealed Jain statues at Mathura?
A) Gupta Empire
B) Maurya Empire
C) Kushan Empire
D) Mughal Empire
- 93. According to the Śvētāmbara tradition, when did the Digambara sect arise?
A) 609 years after Mahavira's nirvana
B) During Mahavira's lifetime
C) At the time of Buddha
D) In the 4th century BCE
- 94. Which work is considered Shrimad Rajchandra's magnum opus?
A) Tattvartha Sutra
B) Pravachanasara
C) Samayasara
D) Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra
- 95. Which movement was founded by Kanji Swami?
A) Shrimad Rajchandra Movement.
B) Akram Vignan Movement.
C) Digambara Path.
D) Kanji Panth.
- 96. What happened to the laws restricting Digambara monks after India gained independence?
A) The laws were abolished
B) The laws were partially modified
C) The laws were strengthened
D) The laws remained unchanged
- 97. What is the basic ritual of worship in Jainism called?
A) Abhisheka
B) Samayika
C) Devapuja
D) Sallekhana
- 98. What does Sāmāyika practice aim to achieve?
A) Self-realization
B) Transformational insights
C) Karmic accumulation
D) Equanimity
- 99. Who is considered the last ascetic with partial knowledge of the original Jain canon according to Digambaras?
A) Kundakunda
B) Bhadrabahu
C) Mahavira
D) Āchārya Bhutabali
- 100. Which Mughal emperor ordered the destruction of various Jain idols in Gwalior?
A) Aurangzeb
B) Akbar
C) Babur
D) Jahangir
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