Parwar (Jain community)

[1] A number of Jain scholars have belonged to this community, including Tarana Swami, the founder of Taran Panth and the Bhattarakas of Chanderi.

A number of inscriptions mentiong the community have been found in the region adjacent to the Betwa river,[2] which flows on the border of MP and UP.

A long inscription at Deogarh of VS 1493 mentions Lakshaman Singhai and his large family, who installed an idol of Lord Shantinath under the supervision of Bhattaraka Devendrakirti of Balatkara Gana.

[5] The great Shantinath temple at Deogarh was built before 862 CE, suggesting a prosperous Jain community in this region.

According to Mahavamsa, Devi, the wife of Maurya ruler Ashoka was a daughter of a merchant of Vidisha, whose son Mahinda took Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

[6] The community resided in 1438 towns and villages with largest population in Sagar, Jhansi, Jabalpur, Damoh and Tikamgarh districts.

The largest number are in Lalitpur (1122 in 1924), Mungawali (481), Khaniadhana (320), Pachhar (Ashoknagar Isagarh), Mandawara (304), Sivni (358), Sagar (595), Bamora (374), Khurai (503), Bina-Itawa (358), Pindarai (Mandla 314), Jabalpur (1058) and Tikamgarh.

The main concentration of the Parwars is still in these towns; however, many of them have moved to major industrial cities further away such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.