Spread to Western India:

• • Jainism spread to western India, where Brahmanism was relatively weak.
  • The early Jainas adopted Prakrit, the language of the common people, to preach their doctrines, avoiding Sanskrit which was linked to Brahmanical traditions.

Support of Kings:

• • Jainism gained royal patronage, especially from Chandragupta Maurya, who became a Jaina ascetic and spent his last years in Karnataka.
  • The great famine in Magadha, around 200 years after Mahavira’s death, led many Jainas under Bhadrabahu (who later became known as Digambaras) to migrate to southern India, contributing to its spread there.

Spread to Kalinga and South India:

• • Jainism spread to Kalinga around the 4th century BCE, where King Kharavela played a major role in its promotion.
  • By the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE, Jainism reached the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

Further Expansion:

• • Jainism later spread to Malwa, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
  • Despite not receiving as much state patronage as Buddhism, Jainism retained its influence in many parts of India, while Buddhism nearly disappeared from its place of origin.