freinds, to my knowledge jainism has preceded mahaveerar. in fact he was the last theerthankarar. from the jain chronology it appears jainism had its roots even in indus civilisation. there are images of a nude man in standing posture in indus seals.
jainsm could have come earlier than what we beleive as tamil country. their contribution to the script of tamil is now a forgone conclusion.
jain tamil history must have made important contribution to tamil civilisation. i think its impact is next only to the arrival of dravidians in 4000 BC.
the jain practices are observrd in one certain peculiar community in east tanjore region. they are called karkatha vellalars. they are vegetarians and teetotallers. they are known for their very soft and gentle living. they have been used by successive rulers for land tax collections and until 30 years they were hereditary manya-kars of this regions.
this community is one of the vanishing tribes here along with karuneekars,dheekshidhars and adhi saivars.
samana came from the sanskrit word "shraman". shraman means disciplined people or elite people . jain is derived from the sanskrit word "jaya" people who have conquered the self.