Chaturtha

For Caturiya, see Turiya.

The Jain Chaturtha (also spelled Chaturth, Chaturth Jains or Chaturtha-kālin Jains) are a Jain community primarily found in Karnataka and Maharashtra. they were originally Kannada and Marathi speakers. They follow the Digambar tradition of Jainism and are historically associated with landholding, agriculture, business, industries and village leadership. Community traditions also record them as having connections with ruling lineages that patronised Jainism in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The Chaturtha Jains are mentioned in medieval inscriptions of Karnataka as important patrons of Jain temples and monasteries. They were among the early Digambar communities to settle in southern India after the decline of Jain political power in the north. Traditionally, their community history associates them with the Jain dynasties that ruled Karnataka and Maharashtra, including the Rashtrakutas, Gangas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, and Kalachuris, Shilaharas, Kakatiyas, Alupas,and Rattas who were noted for their patronage of Jainism in the region.

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