How jainism decreased in India in last 500 years

In the last about 500 years (roughly from 1500 CE till today), Jain population and visible Jain presence have reduced in many parts of India, even though Jain Dharma itself remains alive and complete. Very simply, the main reasons are historical and social, not because Jain philosophy became “weak”.

Below is a clear, easy overview:

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1. Change of kings and loss of royal support

Earlier, many local kings and rich merchants supported Jain temples, pathshalas and acharyas. From about 1500 CE onwards:

• New powers (late Delhi Sultanate, many regional sultanates, then Mughals, later Marathas, then British) mostly did not actively support Jain institutions.
• In some areas, earlier Jain basadis/temples lost funding or were damaged/abandoned.
• Without strong support, centres of Jain learning in some regions weakened or disappeared.

This reduced Jain visibility in many parts of North and South India.

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2. Shift of population and trade routes

Jain society was historically strong in trading and urban centres.

• When trade routes changed (sea routes via Europeans, new ports, new market towns), many old Jain centres declined.
• Jains migrated from small towns to big cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai etc.
• In places they left, Jain numbers dropped sharply, so it looked like “Jainism disappeared” there, though it continued elsewhere.

So, it is more a geographical shift than total disappearance.

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3. Being a very strict path (specially for monks)

Jain Dharma is a path of:

• complete ahimsa in diet and lifestyle
• strong rules of honesty, aparigraha (non‑possession), brahmacharya, etc.
• for munis, extremely hard vows and discipline

Over time:

• Many people continued to respect Jain teachings, but did not want to live by strict vows.
• Some families slowly mixed more with surrounding Hindu society – participating in non-Jain rituals, marriages, festivals.
• In government records and census, such families sometimes began to write “Hindu” instead of “Jain”.

So, the official Jain count decreased, even when attachment to Jain values often remained.

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4. Social mixing and “merging” into majority culture

In many regions, Jains lived peacefully among large Hindu or other communities:

• Language, dress, and customs became similar.
• Some Jain families adopted local deities or practices along with their Jain puja.
• Over a few generations, identity became less clear; outsiders (and even government) often counted them simply as part of the Hindu fold.

This slow assimilation reduced the visible, separate Jain identity in some places.

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5. Low population growth

Compared to many other communities, Jains:

• generally have smaller families
• have higher education and urban lifestyle (which usually means fewer children)
• often marry within a small community, which keeps numbers limited

So, even without “conversion” or leaving the faith, Jain population grows very slowly, while other communities around grow faster. As a percentage of India’s population, Jains therefore appear to be “shrinking”.

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6. Effects of violence and political upheavals earlier

Major destruction of some Jain centres happened before this 500-year period (around 12th–15th centuries) in:

• parts of North India (invasions, temple destructions)
• parts of Karnataka and Tamil regions (religious conflicts, change of rulers)

The after-effects continued into the last 500 years:

• Once big centres are destroyed or weakened, they rarely return to past strength.
• Local Jain communities sometimes migrated out, leaving only very small groups behind.

So by 1500 CE, Jainism was already reduced in some areas; later centuries simply continued that pattern.

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7. British period and modern times

During British rule and after independence:

• Focus shifted to Western education, jobs, cities, and material progress.
• Many Jains became busy in business and professions; fewer youths went deep into scriptural study and tapas.
• Some young people began to see Dharma only as “rituals” and not as central to life, so practice became lighter.

At the same time, Jainism also spread to:

• new Indian cities
• foreign countries (East Africa, UK, USA, Canada, etc.)

So inside India the percentage went down or stayed small, but Jain presence became more scattered and global.

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8. Important: What did not decrease

Even if numbers are small:

• The original teachings of Jinas are preserved in both Shwetambar and Digambar traditions.
• There are still muni-sanghs, aryika-sanghs, sadhvi-sanghs, upashrayas, mathas, pathshalas and strong shravak–shravika communities.
• Great centres like Shatrunjay (Palitana), Sammed Shikhar, Shravanabelagola, Girnar and many others continue to inspire lakhs of pilgrims.

So, Jain Dharma itself has not become weaker; mainly, the size and spread of the community has changed due to historical, political, and social reasons.

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In summary, in the last 500 years Jainism decreased in India mainly because of: loss of royal support, shifting trade and towns, assimilation into majority culture, low population growth, and the long-term impact of earlier political upheavals. But wherever Jains have remained, the core path of ahimsa, anekant, and aparigraha is still fully alive.