Brief answer: Mahavira (the 24th Tirthankara) is the same divine teacher revered by all Jains, but the Jain community split into two major traditions—Digambar and Shwetambar—long after Mahavira’s time. This split is about how monks and Jain scriptures are interpreted and practiced, not about Mahavira as a person.

Key points of difference in simple terms:

• Clothing of monks:

- Digambar: Monks and nuns traditionally do not wear clothes (they are "sky-clad"), based on their interpretation of Mahavira’s life and discipline. - Shwetambar: Monks and nuns wear white robes (they are "white-clad"), which reflects a different tradition of practice and interpretation.

• Role of women and monks:

- Digambar: Some views in this tradition emphasize stricter monastic rules; there are debates about whether women can achieve the same monastic goals in the same way as men. - Shwetambar: Generally more inclusive in ritual and temple practices for both laypeople and women, with regard to monastic rules and path to liberation.

• Canon and scriptures:

- Digambar: They typically revere a different set of canonical texts and have a distinct tradition of which teachings are considered authoritative. - Shwetambar: They follow a different collection of texts and commentaries, with variations in the interpretation of Jain doctrine and ethics.

• Iconography and temple practices:

- Digambar and Shwetambar temples often differ in idols, images, rituals, and how certain Jain cosmology is depicted.

Why there are two panths (paths) and not just one:

• Over centuries, Jain communities in different regions developed their own interpretations, practices, and monastic rules. Both groups honor Mahavira as the supreme teacher and the Tirthankar who showed the path to liberation, but they diverged in how they express that path in daily life, monastic code, and scriptural authority.

If you want more detailed, source-specific explanations (including the exact points of doctrine where they differ and how they interpret specific Jain sutras), I can share that in a clear, labeled way.