ABSTRACT
The available sources for the study of the social life of Jains are diverse and plentiful. Many contemporary Jain writings in Hindi provide data about Jain social life. Vijnaptipatras or Vinantipatras, peculiar to Jain community, are valuable sources for their social history. A characteristic of Jain writings in vernacular languages in medieval times may be noted. In medieval times the Jain community continued to uphold their socio-religious norms but this did not come in their way of conducting their business with other groups belonging to different religions in the country. An important feature of the Jain social structure was that in spite of all conservatism and respect for tradition, it was not closed to others. The Jains like the Hindus believed that birth determined the caste and there was a hierarchy in the caste system. Jain scholars would not consider their education complete unless they had mastered Sanskrit.
