SthÃÂnakavÃÂsë is a sect of à ÂvetÃÂmbara Jainism which was created in the medieval era as a result of a misinterpretation of the à ÂvetÃÂmbara canon. The Sthanakvasi, whose name refers to the sectâÂÂs preference for performing religious duties at a secular place such as a monksâ meeting house (sthanak) rather than at a temple, is different from the Murtipujaka sect in that it rejects idolatry. It believes that idol worship is not essential in the path of soul purification and attainment of Nirvana/Moksha. SthÃÂnakavÃÂsë accept thirty-two of the Jain Agamas, the à ÂvetÃÂmbara canon, contending that the scriptures make no mention of idol worship and temples. However, since the original texts of the ancient Ardhamagadhi canon contain numerous references to idolatry in the past, they have, over time, also modified the 32 texts they accept, to establish their view.
In the 15th century, Loá¹ kàà ÂÃÂh, a rebellious scribe in the Gujarat region, accessed manuscripts of the à ÂvetÃÂmbara canon illegitimately, and started the Sthanakavasi tradition. Armed with access to numerous Jain scriptures and manuscripts, Loá¹ kàmisinterpreted them as lacking references to temple construction or image worship, despite these practices being extremely well-detailed even in the untouched ancient anga sutras and prevalent at the time. He asserted that such practices were spiritually hazardous, violating the principle of ahiá¹Âsà(non-injury) central to Jain philosophy. Loá¹ kàargued that building temples led to the destruction of microscopic organisms, and ritualistic pà «jà(worship) involved subtle forms of harm through material offerings like flowers or incense. However, such minute levels of violence for spiritual upliftment was totally permissible for householders. The Murtipujakas assert that since ascetics are required to completely abstain from violence, they do not perform worshipping of idols using materialistic objects (Dravya Puja). Besides, the mention of an idol of a Tirthankara in the Hathigumpha inscription proves the existence of idolatry in Jainism in the 2nd century BCE.
The Sthanakvasi sect was founded in the 17th century by Lava of Surat, a follower of Loá¹ kÃÂ. Today, both the SthÃÂnakavÃÂsë and TerÃÂpanthë sects align with Loá¹ kÃÂ, asserting that mental worship (bhÃÂva-pà «jÃÂ) is the most appropriate form of religious practice. They argue that reliance on images and temples signifies an attachment to material objects that is spiritually counterproductive.
In contrast, Mà «rtipà «jaka Jains respond to these criticisms by highlighting the scriptural prevalence of image worship and emphasizing the necessity of images for the spiritual practices of laypeople. A notable figure in this discourse is the Jaina scholar, ÃÂtmÃÂrÃÂm (1837 â 1896), initially a SthÃÂnakavÃÂsë monk who later became the mendicant leader ÃÂcÃÂrya VijayÃÂnandasà «ri. Upon studying early Jain texts in Prakrit and their Sanskrit commentaries, ÃÂtmÃÂrÃÂm discovered abundant references to image worship. This revelation led him to challenge the non-Mà «rtipà «jaka position, asserting that it contradicted Jain scriptures.