Answer

Yes — from a titthi + daily-vidhi perspective, the real differences among these five groups are mostly about:

• which tithi system they follow
• which stutis / smaraṇas they insert into pratikramaṇ
• small but important ritual sequencing differences
• how their monastic and lay communities standardize observance

They are all within the Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjaka world, so the core Jain framework is the same; what changes is the ritual style and calendar discipline. ( jainqq.org)

Explanation

1) Tapagaccha 1 Titthi

This is the clearest, most structured tithi system in your list.

The Tapagaccha tithi tradition treats certain pava tithis as fixed for observance, and when there is kshaya or vriddhi, the tradition applies its own rule-set rather than simply following the civil-calendar day mechanically. The same source also says that kalyāṇak tithis are preserved with their own kshaya/vriddhi behavior rather than being substituted away. ( jaingpt.org)

In practice, this means Tapagaccha 1 Titthi is not just “one day earlier or later” — it is a whole disciplined observance system centered on udaya-tithi / audayika tithi logic and the Tapagaccha’s inherited panchang discipline. ( jaingpt.org)

2) Tapagaccha 2 Titthi

This is still basically Tapagaccha, so the big doctrinal and liturgical spine remains the same.

What usually changes is the tithi-resolution method for certain observances. I was able to verify Tapagaccha 1 Titthi clearly, but I did not find a clean primary-source text in my search that lays out a separate, standard published “Tapagaccha 2 Titthi liturgy” as distinctly as Kharatara or Vidhipaksha/Achal. So the safest way to think about it is:

• same Tapagaccha devotional universe
• slightly different tithi handling
• very similar stuti/pratikramaṇ culture
• differences show up mainly in date alignment, not in Jain philosophy

That is the most careful conclusion I can support from the material I found. ( jaingpt.org)

3) Kharatara Gaccha

Kharatara is much easier to distinguish ritually.

A pratikramaṇ-comparison text says that Kharatara and Tapagaccha use different stutis in several places. For example, in the modern Kharatara line the text notes prayers like:

• Suvarṇaśālinī
• Yāsāṃ kṣetragatāḥ
• Para-samaya-timira
• Saṃsāra-dāvānala

while Tapagaccha uses different corresponding stutis such as:

• Suyadevayābhagavaī / Kamaladala-vipula
• Jise khitte / Yasyā kṣetra
• Vishālalocanaṃ

and other parallel forms. ( jainqq.org)

That same source also says Kharatara does not recite certain items in the same place where Tapagaccha does, such as Jāvati ceiyāiṃ, Jāvanta kevi sāhū, and Praṇidhāna sūtra in that caityavandana sequence. ( jainqq.org)

On the smaraṇa side, Hiralal Kapadia’s review says Kharatara traditionally keeps seven smaraṇas, while Tapagaccha keeps nine, and Vidhipaksha/Achal also has its own nine-smaraṇa set. ( jainqq.org)

So Kharatara is not just “another titthi school” — it has a distinct devotional and pratikramaṇ identity. ( jainqq.org)

4) Achal / Anchal / Vidhipaksha Gaccha

This is the other very distinct living line.

Kapadia identifies Vidhi Paksha = Achala and says that among the living Mūrtipūjaka Śvetāmbara gacchas, the four are Kharatara, Vidhi Paksha/Achala, Tapā, and Pāścaṃdra/Pāyacandra. He also says he had not seen a ready pratikramaṇ-sūtra booklet for Pāścaṃdra. ( jainqq.org)

For Vidhipaksha/Achal, he lists a different nine-smaraṇa set, including:

• Brhannamaskāra
• Ajitaśānti stava
• Vīra stava
• Uvasaggahara
• Namiuṃ
• Jirikāpalli Pārśva stava
• Namotthuṇam / Śakrastava
• Laghu Ajitaśānti
• Bṛhad Ajitaśānti stava ( jainqq.org)

This is a major practical marker. So if you are comparing Achal/Vidhipaksha with Tapagaccha or Kharatara, the difference is often visible in:

• which smaraṇas are treated as standard
• which pratikramaṇ book is followed
• how the devotional sequence is organized ( jainqq.org)

On the tithi side, the sources I found do not give me a clean, universally-quoted “Achal tithi algorithm” the way Tapagaccha does. So the safest statement is: the one-day shift you notice is usually the visible result of different tithi-resolution rules, not a different theology. That is an inference from the tithi sources and pratikramaṇ comparisons. ( jainqq.org)

5) Parshwachandra / Paichand Gaccha

This is the hardest one to pin down from publicly available material.

Kapadia’s review says that for Pāścaṃdra / Pāyacandra, he had not found a pratikramaṇ-sūtra booklet in the hands of lay followers, and he was not sure whether a smaraṇa corpus existed. ( jainqq.org)

So the honest answer is:

• it is acknowledged as a living gaccha in some listings
• but its publicly visible ritual literature is much harder to locate
• therefore, I would be cautious about making strong claims about its exact stutis, pratikramaṇ sequence, or titthi method unless you have a local lineage source ( jainqq.org)

Spiritual Understanding

If you step back, the important thing is this:

• Jain Dharma remains one
• the goal remains the same
• the differences are in disciplined observance, not in liberation doctrine

These gaccha differences matter because they preserve lineage memory, ritual precision, and sampradāya discipline. But they should not be used to create ego or separation. In Jain spirit, the real question is always:

• Am I observing with samyak bhāva?
• Am I reducing pramāda?
• Am I increasing vinaya, tapa, and samyam?

That is the deeper point behind titthi, pratikramaṇ, and stuti differences. ( jaingpt.org)

Takeaway

The shortest clean summary

• Tapagaccha 1 Titthi: the most clearly defined Tapagaccha tithi system. ( jaingpt.org)
• Tapagaccha 2 Titthi: still basically Tapagaccha; main difference is calendar/tithi handling.
• Kharatara: visibly different pratikramaṇ and stuti repertoire. ( jainqq.org)
• Achal / Vidhipaksha: very distinct smaraṇa and ritual corpus; one of the four living gacchas. ( jainqq.org)
• Paichand / Parshwachandra: the least well-documented in the material I found. ( jainqq.org)

Bhaktamar 44 vs 48

The 44/48 issue is mainly a textual-recension issue, not a reliable gaccha identifier. Jainpedia notes both 44- and 48-stanza traditions in the broader Jain world, so you should not use Bhaktamar verse-count alone to classify a gaccha. ( jainpedia.org)

If you want, I can next give you a clean side-by-side ritual comparison of:

• Samayik
• Devsi/Ratri Pratikramaṇ
• Chaityavandan stutis
• Guru-vandan style
• Kalyāṇak observance
• Navsmaraṇ / Bhaktamar usage

for these five groups in one compact chart.