Jainism

The Jains look to 24 tirthankaras, ford-makers who overcame the cycle of rebirth. The 23rd, Parshvanatha, is dated to about the eighth or seventh century BCE, and the 24th, Mahavira, was a contemporary of the Buddha who rejected the authority of the Vedas. Jain ethics rest on ahimsa, non-violence, anekantavada, the many-sidedness of truth, and aparigraha, non-possession. Because of non-violence Jains avoided farming and war, and many became merchants and bankers.

Under the Delhi Sultanate Alauddin Khalji, who ruled from 1296 to 1316, received Jain sages. Later Mughal emperors such as Akbar made grants to Jain pilgrimage sites, though Akbar also ordered Jain temples at Chittor destroyed in 1567.