There's more to Jainism than meets the eye

And a lot more than I was expecting first met my eye!

Let me begin by admitting that my awareness of Jainism was superficial to say the least...they didn't eat onions or garlic and often wore masks to avoid inhaling any insects was about all I knew about Jains - until now that is.

On our walk through Old Delhi last week we had the chance to visit a Jain temple. I didn't know what to expect as we passed through the beautifully carved entryway but upon entering my first thought was that apparently Jain holy men all sit around naked!

Obviously there's more to this religion than that so I turned to Wikipedia where I learned:

Jainism is an ancient religion of India that prescribes a path of peace and non-violence towards all living beings.

 Jainism encourages spiritual development through reliance on and cultivation of one's own personal wisdom and self-control. 

The swastika symbol and naked statues resembling Jain monks, which archaeologists have found among the remains of the Indus Valley Civilization, tend to support a claim of some antiquity.

Jains have an ancient tradition of scholarship and have the highest degree of literacy in India; Jain libraries are the oldest in the country.

An honorable and wise tradition, but what's the problem with clothes?

Apparently there are two sects of Jainism, one believes that salvation or moksha can be achieved while wearing clothes (only white) and the other believes that a person should not wear clothes and be sky-clad in order to achieve moksha. We were clearly in a temple of the latter!

That said, the temple had some beautifully detailed painting on the ceilings and walls.
Here's to well-placed flyswatters!