Answer

In Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjak Jain tradition, the term gaccha refers to a monastic lineage or organized ascetic tradition.

The commonly known major Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjak gacchas include:

• Tapā Gaccha
• Kharatara Gaccha
• Añcala Gaccha
• Pūrṇimā Gaccha

Within these gacchas, divisions generally developed around:

• lineage of ācāryas and gurus,
• regional centers of activity,
• slight differences in monastic discipline or customs,
• temple administration and community affiliation,
• historical succession after prominent ācāryas.

Explanation

A gaccha is not a separate religion or separate Jain philosophy. All Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjak gacchas accept the core Jain principles such as:

• faith in the Tīrthaṅkars,
• worship of Jina images,
• importance of sādhu-sādhvī life,
• karma theory,
• ahiṃsā, saṃyam, tapas, and mokṣa-mārga.

The differences are mostly historical, disciplinary, organizational, and customary rather than differences in the basic Jain doctrine.

Among the four, Tapā Gaccha became the largest and most widely followed in later centuries. Kharatara Gaccha is also a very important and historically influential lineage, especially known for its strong monastic and scholarly tradition.

Spiritual Understanding

From the Jain point of view, the purpose of any gaccha is to preserve:

• right faith,
• right knowledge,
• right conduct,
• discipline of ascetics,
• and devotion to the Jinas.

So, while gacchas may have historical divisions, the spiritual aim remains the same: purification of the soul and progress toward mokṣa.

Takeaway

The four Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjak gacchas are mainly different ascetic lineages within the same broader Jain tradition. Their divisions are based more on monastic lineage, history, and practice than on fundamental doctrinal disagreement.