Śvetāmbara in the context of "Digambara"

Jain monasticism refers to the order of monks and nuns in the Jain community and can be divided into two major denominations: the Digambara and the Śvētāmbara. The monastic practices of the two major sects vary greatly, but the major principles of both are identical. Five mahāvratas (Great Vows), from Mahavira's teachings, are followed by all Jain ascetics of both the sects. Historians believe that a united Jain sangha (community) existed before 367 BCE, about 160 years after the moksha (liberation) of Mahavira. The community then gradually divided into the major denominations. However, no evidence indicate when the schism between the Digambaras and the Śvetāmbaras happened.

Jainism is an Indian religion which is traditionally believed to be propagated by twenty-four spiritual teachers known as tirthankara. Broadly, Jainism is divided into two major schools of thought, Digambara and Śvetāmbara. These are further divided into different sub-sects and traditions. While there are differences in practices, the core philosophy and main principles of each sect is the same.

Devardhi or Vachanacharya Devardhigani Kshamashramana or Devavachaka was a Jain ascetic of the Śvetāmbara sect and an author of several Prakrit texts.

He was a prominent figure in Jainism in the 5th century AD. Mainly known for his contributions to the compilation and preservation of the canonical Jain scriptures, he is one of the most revered ascetics of the Śvetāmbara sect of Jainism. It was under his guidance that the second council of Vallabhi was held to preserve the remaining canonical texts of Jainism. Apart from the compilation of the canonical texts, he has been revered for his spiritual teachings as well.

Aryika, also known as Sadhvi, is a female mendicant (nun) in Jainism.

The Palitana temples, often known only as Palitana, are a large complex of Jain temples located on Shatrunjaya hills near Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. Also known as "Padliptapur of Kathiawad" in historic texts, the dense collection of almost 900 small shrines and large temples have led many to call Palitana the "city of temples". It is one of the most sacred sites of the Śvetāmbara tradition within Jainism. The earliest temples in the complex date as far back as the 11th century CE.

The Palitana temple complex is near the top of the hill, in groups called Tonks (Tuks) along the hills' various ridges. The main temple is dedicated to Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara; it is the holiest shrine for the Śvetāmbara Murtipujaka sect. Marble is the preferred material of construction. More than 400,000 pilgrims visited the site in 2010.

In Jainism, Bharata was the first chakravartin (lit. 'holder of a chakra', i.e., emperor) of the Avasarpini (present half-time cycle). He was the eldest son of Rishabhanatha, the first tirthankara. The ancient name of India was named Bhāratavarsha or Bhārat or Bharata-bhumi after him. He had two sons from his chief-empress Subhadra, named Arkakirti and Marichi. He is said to have conquered all six parts of the world and to have engaged in a fight with Bahubali, his brother, to conquer the last remaining city of the world.

According to the Digambara sub-tradition of Jainism, in his later years, he renounced the world, led an ascetic life, and attained kevala jnana (omniscience). According to the Śvetāmbara Jains, he attained kevala jnana (omniscience) after which he renounced the world. He gained kevala jnana when he came to believe that the human body lacked beauty and renounced the world as a kevalajnani (omniscient), and then attained moksha.

Hemachandra (c. 1088 – c. 1172/1173) was a 12th century Śvetāmbara Jaina ācārya, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gained the title kalikālasarvajña, "the knower of all knowledge in his times" and is also regarded as father of the Gujarati language.

Born as Caṅgadeva, he was ordained in the Śvetāmbara school of Jainism in 1110 and took the name Somacandra. In 1125 he became an adviser to King Kumārapāla and wrote Arhannīti, a work on politics from Jaina perspective. He also produced Triśaṣṭi-śalākā-puruṣacarita (“Deeds of the 63 Illustrious Men”), a Sanskrit epic poem on the history of important figures of Jainism. Later when he was consecrated as ācārya, his name was changed to Hemacandra.

Yogaśāstra (lit. "Yoga treatise") is a 12th-century Sanskrit text by Hemachandra on Śvetāmbara Jainism. It is a treatise on the "rules of conduct for laymen and ascetics", wherein "yoga" means "ratna-traya" (three jewels), i.e. right belief, right knowledge and right conduct for a Sadhaka. As a manual with an extensive auto-commentary called Svopajnavrtti, it was instrumental to the survival and growth of Śvetāmbara tradition in western Indian states such as Gujarat and the spread of Sanskrit culture in Jainism.

The Yogasastra is unlike the conventional much older yoga texts found in Buddhism and Hinduism, but shows their influence. Probably titled "yoga" because its royal patron was attached to yogic traditions of 12th-century India, the Yogasastra treatise is a systematic exposition of Jain doctrine using the Svetambara scriptures (sruta) and tradition (sampradaya), as well as the teachings of many prior Jain scholars such as Umasvati, Subhachandra, and Haribhadra.