Terapanth (tera-panth) and Beespanth (bis-panth) are two Digambara Jain sub-sects that emerged from debates about temple practice and leadership, and they have distinct rituals and organizational ideas. There is also a Svetambar Terapanth, which is a separate branch with its own beliefs.

Key differences in simple terms:

• Leader and temple focus

- Beespanth: traditionally accept the authority of bhattārakas (religious leaders in Digambara temples) and worship minor deities alongside Tirthankaras. - Terapanth: arose as a reform movement against bhattārakas; they minimize or reject the role of bhattārakas in temples and focus on worship of Tirthankaras in a simpler form.

• Worship and offerings

- Beespanth: use a wider set of offerings in temples, including flowers, fruits, and other customary items; they may include images of deities beyond the Tirthankaras. - Terapanth: prefer austere worship with fewer material offerings (often no flowers, no alankar to deities) and emphasize non-image-based practices in many communities. In many Terapantha traditions, worship is kept simple and focused on the Tirthankaras themselves.

• Ritual posture and practice

- Beespanth: traditional worship in sitting posture is common; imagery and ornate rituals can be part of their practice. - Terapanth: worship often done in standing; arati and elaborate ritual cycles are typically avoided in many Terapantha communities.

• Use of ashta-dravya (the eight sacred items)

- Beespanth: commonly use a full set of traditional substances in puja (including flowers and other offerings). - Terapanth: may limit or modify the use of these items, emphasizing simplicity and restraint.

• approach to idols and deities

- Beespanth: images or idols of various deities and protective figures (yaksha, yakshini, etc.) may be present in temples. - Terapanth: focus mainly on the Tirthankaras; some branches avoid idol worship altogether, especially in Svetambara Terapanth, which emphasizes meditation and discipline over image worship.

• Geographic spread and social role

- Beespanth: historically strong in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and parts of South India. - Terapanth: widespread in North India (e.g., Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh) and known for reformist stance; emphasizes education, meditation, and a sometimes modernized organizational approach.

Important note about sub-divisions:

• There are Digambara Terapanth and Svetambara Terapanth. They are not the same in practice:

- Digambara Terapanth may retain more ascetic or nudity-related ideas in some lineages and differ from the Svetambara Terapanth, which tends to emphasize non-image worship and meditation practices such as prekṣā dhyāna. - Beespanth exists primarily in Digambara communities and has its own distinct rituals and temple practices.

If you want, I can summarize these differences using exact terms and examples from Jain textual or temple practices, or point to specific practitioner descriptions within Digambara and Svetambara traditions.